Senate Standing Committee on Indigenous Peoples chair Senator Brian Francis calls a report released July 19 a SA国际影视传媒渞oad mapSA国际影视传媒� to help survivors of Indian residential schools and their families.

Honouring the Children Who Never Came Home: Truth, Education and Reconciliation is a 30-page report that examines the progress madeSA国际影视传媒攐r lack of progress, as Francis saysSA国际影视传媒� on turning over Indian residential school records, which are important to identifying childrenSA国际影视传媒檚 remains buried in unmarked graves.

On March 21, the Senate committee heard from representatives from the Office of the Independent Special Interlocutor for Missing Children and Unmarked Graves and Burial Sites associated with Indian Residential Schools, and the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation.

Francis says he was SA国际影视传媒渁bsolutelySA国际影视传媒� surprised to learn that residential school records were still outstanding.

Witness Donald Worme, independent legal counsel with the office of the special interlocutor, told the senate committee, SA国际影视传媒淭he most important relationship is with the federal government, yet it did not compel them to release records. Their signature on the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement, under which they agreed to provide all relevant records to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission relative to Indian residential schools, was not complied with, and neither did the church entities comply.SA国际影视传媒�

Not only is the federal government and a number of Roman Catholic entities dragging their feet in producing records, but so are Library and Archives Canada and the governments of Manitoba, Quebec, Ontario, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories.

The Senate committee will compel all those parties to appear before them in the fall.

SA国际影视传媒淭he committee expects that witnesses will accept the invitation to appear so that they can explain why they have not yet released their records (that) families and survivors have already waited for for too long,SA国际影视传媒� said Francis.

The committee has the option to summon witnesses who donSA国际影视传媒檛 accept the invitation, but Francis says heSA国际影视传媒檚 hoping they donSA国际影视传媒檛 have to take that action. But he will summon them if itSA国际影视传媒檚 necessary, he promises.

Compelling their presence is one of six recommendations put forward by the committee, which is also seeking a December update from Library and Archives Canada and Crown-Indigenous Relations as to the transfer of records.

Combat denialism

The committee is also recommending that the federal government take whatever steps necessary to combat the rise of residential school denialism in Canada.

SA国际影视传媒淏eing a First Nation person myself and a former chief of my community, itSA国际影视传媒檚 disappointing, but not surprising,SA国际影视传媒� Francis said.

He served as chief of Abegweit First Nation for three terms. When he was appointed to the Senate in 2018, he became the first MiSA国际影视传媒檏maw/Lnu to represent Epekwitk/Prince Edward Island. He also serves as the caucus chair of the Progressive Senate Group and is a member of the Standing Senate Committee on Fisheries and Oceans.

Communities are experiencing the SA国际影视传媒渧iolence of denialism,SA国际影视传媒� Special Interlocutor Kimberly Murray, a member of the Kahnesatake Mohawk Nation, told the Senate committee on March 21.

SA国际影视传媒淓very time an announcement of anomalies, reflections or recoveries are made, communities are being inundated by people emailing or phoning them to attack them and saying, `This didnSA国际影视传媒檛 happen,SA国际影视传媒漇A国际影视传媒� she said.

Senator Mary Coyle categorized denialism as SA国际影视传媒渞eally dangerous.SA国际影视传媒�

ItSA国际影视传媒檚 a sentiment with which Francis agrees.

SA国际影视传媒淒enialism involves not only the complete denial of the existence of residential schools that have lasting impact, it also involves attempts to excuse, minimize, or deny basic established facts and survivorsSA国际影视传媒� accounts,SA国际影视传媒� he said.

SA国际影视传媒淒enialism needs to be confronted and challenged wherever possible.SA国际影视传媒�

Stephanie Scott from the Roseau River Anishinaabe First Nation, the executive director of the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, suggested legislation SA国际影视传媒渢o deal withSA国际影视传媒� websites that support denialism.

While the committee didnSA国际影视传媒檛 specifically mention legislation in its direction to Canada to address denialism, Francis said that is a step he supports.

Murray also suggested legislation to make First Nations policing an essential service.

SA国际影视传媒淲e need some movement around First Nations policing, because I see an important role for them in the future investigation of missing children,SA国际影视传媒� she said.

Murray believes that other policing services, including the , could not carry out investigations because they were involved in apprehending children and taking them to residential schools.

Murray also suggested legislation that would allow access to private lands that contain suspected burial sites.

SA国际影视传媒淲e need access to land. This is what keeps me awake many nights, thinking about how some things could escalate. We have landowners that arenSA国际影视传媒檛 allowing survivors onto properties, even to do ceremony, let alone to search the grounds,SA国际影视传媒� she said. SA国际影视传媒淢y office has had to write letters and have meetings with landowners to try to convince them that this is the right thing to do. We have landowners that have campers on top of the burials of children SA国际影视传媒� known burials. We donSA国际影视传媒檛 have any law to put a stop to this.SA国际影视传媒�

SA国际影视传媒楪别苍辞肠颈诲别SA国际影视传媒�

The report does not use the word SA国际影视传媒済enocideSA国际影视传媒� when talking about Indian residential schools although the word is used numerous times during testimony.

SA国际影视传媒淚t was probably just an oversight,SA国际影视传媒� said Francis. SA国际影视传媒淚 use the word `genocideSA国际影视传媒� myself all the time in speeches that I make. It is genocide and we have to call it what it is.SA国际影视传媒�

Francis says the six SA国际影视传媒減racticalSA国际影视传媒� recommendations in the report, which also include extending the Residential Schools Missing ChildrenSA国际影视传媒擟ommunity Support Fund until 2033 and SA国际影视传媒渁dequate, predictable, stable and long-term fundingSA国际影视传媒� to the national centre so it can fulfil its mandate, are only a starting point.

SA国际影视传媒淵ou see the effects in the community of the residential schools and the harm, the intergenerational trauma and itSA国际影视传媒檚 still alive and well today and yet the government dragged its heels on moving forward to help us as always. (ItSA国际影视传媒檚) like we have to be the ones that try and move this forward when it shouldnSA国际影视传媒檛 be that way. The harm was done to us. We didnSA国际影视传媒檛 do the harm to anyone else,SA国际影视传媒� said Francis.

The steering committee will decide this fall the number of witnesses and the number of meetings to be scheduled, says Francis, in order to find out from entities and organizations as to why they have withheld records from the national centre.

In an email response, Crown-Indigenous Relations spokesperson Carolane Gratton said the department had established the Residential School Documents Advisory Committee in March 2022. The inaugural meeting of the committee was held only last month, with Cadmus Delorme, former chief of Cowessess First Nation as chair, and Scott and Miller as members. That meeting SA国际影视传媒渁nnounced the membership of the committee and provided an update on the exercise to identify documents related to residential schools,SA国际影视传媒� said Gratton.

Gratton did not respond to WindspeakerSA国际影视传媒檚 question as to whether Miller or someone from his department would attend the Senate Standing Committee on Indigenous Peoples hearing in the fall, if so compelled.

SA国际影视传媒擝y Shari Narine, Local Journalism Initiative reporter, Windspeaker.com