Pressure increasing on province, Ottawa to fund search for children’s graves

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This article was published 15/06/2021 (1192 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA — The Pallister and Trudeau governments are facing mounting pressure to help locate unmarked residential school burial sites, after Ontario pledged millions for these searches.

Meanwhile, a Manitoba senator says Ottawa needs to do all it can to help uncover the truth, instead of starting a legal battle with the Catholic Church.

On Tuesday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford allocated $10 million over three years, both for searches and commemorations, earning praise from the Chiefs of Ontario, who are often critical of Ford.

That day, Alberta Premier Jason Kenney told reporters he would soon unveil a multimillion-dollar package to support finding unmarked graves in his province, and Saskatchewan is considering a similar offer.

The Manitoba government has not promised funding, but says it wants to play an active role with Ottawa and Indigenous communities. The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs is still working on its own vision of how to approach burial sites.

Two weeks ago, Ottawa offered $27 million for communities to conduct searches, but chiefs say it’s unclear how to access that funding.

The federal Liberals are also resisting calls to provide standards for communities to follow, so that they gather data in a comparable format that can be used in criminal proceedings.

That’s despite companies such as SNC-Lavalin already offering ground scans to Manitoba bands at no charge, and online fundraisers to search reserves such as Long Plain First Nation.

Archeological experts have expressed hesitancy about offers from corporations and volunteers to help, saying ground-radar detection is complex and any digging could spoil evidence.

Pimicikamak Cree Nation, also known as Cross Lake, has for weeks asked Ottawa to pay an external agency to help make sure the searches are done in ways that can preserve criminal evidence.

The band has already solicited the International Commission on Missing Persons, a global agency that has searched everything from mass graves to the aftermath of the 2013 Lac-Mégantic oil-train disaster in Quebec.

Cross Lake wants Ottawa to pay this type of expert organization to offer services across Canada.

“We want international assistance, because how can you trust a system in place that basically killed our culture, and tried to erase our culture?” Chief David Monias said.

“At the national level, we want to have some unbiased oversight to help set this in motion.”

In Parliament Wednesday, MP Niki Ashton asked Crown-Indigenous Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett about Cross Lake’s demands. Bennett instead mentioned the existing funding.

“We are also reaching out to Indigenous communities across Canada, in how to best support them in finding their lost children, and healing,” Bennett responded.

Her department could not provide an answer Tuesday or Wednesday on how many requests they’ve received, and the cumulative amount of funding being sought.

And Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller could not provide rough figures.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has stepped up calls to have Catholic orders hand over records, with the Truth and Reconciliation commissioners saying other denominations have been more forthcoming.

Yet Manitoba Sen. Mary Jane McCallum, who survived a residential school in The Pas, said Trudeau’s focus on the church is a distraction from Ottawa’s own responsibility.

“They have tried to shift the discourse to the church; we will not allow that,” she told the Free Press.

Trudeau has hinted that Ottawa might take the Catholic Church to court if it doesn’t hand over records, but McCallum noted that the TRC sought funding and a mandate to investigate burial sites after unexpectedly hearing from survivors about unmarked graves.

“This is another new face of oppression; another new tactic… now we’re going to have even more legal battles. It shouldn’t have to be like that.” McCallum said.

“I don’t understand why things didn’t happen faster when you have evidence of murder.”

On Tuesday, Yukon Premier Sandy Silver told reporters it’s time for those involved in residential schools to come clean.

“To the religious communities in which these schools were operated under, don’t wait until your jurisdiction becomes a crime scene. We need to share information as much as we possibly can ahead of time.”

dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca