Residential school denialists tried to dig up suspected unmarked graves in Kamloops, B.C., report finds

Residential school deniers tried to dig up suspected unmarked grave sites at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School, not believing a May 2021 announcement from the Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc that as many as 215 Indigenous children had been buried there, according to a new report.

"Denialists entered the site without permission. Some came in the middle of the night, carrying shovels; they said they wanted to 'see for themselves' if children are buried there," said a Friday report from Kimberly Murray, the independent special interlocutor for missing children and unmarked graves and burial sites associated with Indian Residential Schools.

She did not say who the denialists were or when they came to the site.

But the unauthorized visits to the site are the work of a "core group" of Canadians who continue to deny, defend or minimize the physical, sexual, psychological and emotional abuse inflicted on Indigenous children in the Indian Residential School System "despite the indisputable evidence of survivors and their families," Murray said at a Friday news conference.

Other uninvited visitors, including denialists and some members of the media, were disrespectful of the site, breaching cultural protocols and taking videos and pictures of the burial area without permission, the report found.

Since the confirmation of community knowledge of suspected unmarked graves in Kamloops, First Nations across Canada have located evidence of the remains of more than 2,300 children in suspected unmarked graves at or near former residential schools and Indian hospitals, according to the report.

Denialism and disrespect exacerbate the pain and trauma of survivors and community members trying to grieve and search the grave sites, Murray said.

Citing international experts, Murray called denialism "the last step in genocide."

"Denialism is violence. Denialism is calculated. Denialism is harmful. Denialism is hate," Murray said.

Interlocutor to co-ordinate government response to residential school unmarked graves

2 years ago

Duration 6:54

Kimberly Murray will serve as special interlocutor to co-ordinate the government's response to unmarked graves that have been identified at a number of former residential school sites.

Calls for non-Indigenous Canadians to counter denialism

Murray's interim report detailed denialism and other challenges that remain for Indigenous families and communities trying to search for unmarked graves.

She called on non-Indigenous Canadians to counter residential school denialism at every opportunity.

"Denialism is a non-Indigenous problem and therefore it's for non-Indigenous people to address it," said Murray.

On Friday, federal Justice Minister David Lametti said he was open to outlawing residential school denialism with similar criminal and civil measures to those used to punish people who deny, minimize or condone the Holocaust. 

"I just simply can't imagine the devastating impact that it would have on a survivor, or on a family, or a community that has seen this directly," Lametti said Friday.

"I pledge to do my best here."

Denialists targeted First Nations across Canada

Since findings from Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc were leaked in May 2021, the community and others have faced an outpouring of denialism from some Canadians and media outlets.

A May 2022 New York Post headline called the suspected unmarked graves the "biggest fake news story in Canada."

Kúkpi7 Rosanne Casimir, elected chief of Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc, says she stopped being able to use social media without "heavy filters" due to the hate and racism that inundated her and others in the community in the wake of the findings, according to Murray's Friday report.

Casimir did not return a request for comment before publication.

After the Cowessess First Nation in Saskatchewan announced at least 751 potential unmarked graves near the former Marieval Indian Residential School, the most located at a single site, Barbara Lavallee, residential school survivor and lead researcher for the Nation said the community was also targeted with denialism.

"Many communities have had to adopt security measures to keep trespassers off the burial grounds," Murray said on Friday.

Her office's report highlighted recommendations from Casimir that communities be in charge of when and how to share information about unmarked graves, set boundaries and protocols with media and support the people who will be most impacted by the information.

"This is more than a media story whose time is coming and going, we have to ensure justice and accountability keeps going in the long-term," Casimir said in the report.

A national Indian Residential School Crisis Line is available to provide support for survivors and those affected. People can access emotional and crisis referral services by calling the 24-hour service at 1-866-925-4419.

Mental health counselling and crisis support is also available 24 hours a day, seven days a week through the Hope for Wellness hotline at 1-855-242-3310 or by online chat.