People across Canada and well beyond are struggling to absorb the news that the remains of 215 children have been discovered in an unmarked burial site at the former Indian Residential School in Kamloops, B.C.
On behalf of the University of Toronto, I would like to acknowledge the dignity of each one of these 215 children, their families, and their communities. I would also like to acknowledge the impact of the news on the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation, other Indigenous communities whose children’s remains are among those discovered, all survivors of Canada’s Indian Residential School system, and Indigenous members of the U of T community. It comes amidst the continuing trauma inflicted by residential schools as well as ongoing concerns about the disappearance of many Indigenous people across the country.
Read the full statement on the Office of the President’s website.