'We need to have the truth before we can have healing': Ottawa to release residential school records
How kids ended up in unmarked graves, like the ones discovered last year in Kamloops, B.C., could soon become clearer after Ottawa agreed to release a mass of records related to residential schools.
The Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs welcomed the deal, which could see hundreds of thousands of new documents shared.
"If your child went to public school, you would have access to those records as a parent or grandparent or guardian," explained Kukpi7 Judy Wilson. "In this case, we never had access to it."
The governments and churches that ran the schools have been under sustained pressure to provide the records since the graves were detected at a number of residential school sites across the country last year.
On Thursday, Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Mark Miller signed a Memorandum of Understanding that outlined how and when records would be released to the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation in Winnipeg.
"Survivors, we want you to trust that we are doing all we can to uncover the truth," Miller said at a news conference. "We know our words aren't enough and we need concrete action."
Words aren't enough because for years, officials insisted all documents had been released. Last October, the prime minister told reporters as much.
"All the federal records in possession of the federal government have already been turned over to the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation," Justin Trudeau said.
Yet that wasn't the case, and First Nations leaders pushed back, leading to the newly struck deal and framework to release more records.
For Wilson, it marks a crucial step towards reconciliation.
"We need to have the truth before we can have healing," she said in an interview with CTV News.
The process could take six months, and resources will be required to comb through the information, which needs to be handled with care.
The horrors of Canada's residential school system saw increased international attention last year, as more people around the world learned about the thousands of children who were pulled from their families by force and put into church-operated, state-sanctioned schools where abuse was rampant.
Beyond residential schools, Wilson said documents related to hospitals may help shed light on what happened to others who vanished.
"A number of people in our community were sent to the infirmaries for TB back in the day and you know, some may never had made it home either," added Wilson.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Police arrest 3 Indian nationals in killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar
Three people have been arrested and charged in the killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar – as authorities continue investigating potential connections to the Indian government.
TD worst-case scenario more likely after drug money laundering allegations: analyst
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
Human remains found in rural Sask. possibly a decade old, RCMP say
RCMP say human remains found in a rural area in central Saskatchewan may have been there for a decade or more.
Police officer hit by driver of fleeing vehicle in Toronto
York Regional Police say they are continuing to search for a suspect in an auto theft investigation who was captured on video running over a police officer in Toronto last month.
Five areas Canada's foreign interference commissioner says needs more investigation
Commissioner Marie-Josee Hogue released her interim report examining foreign election interference on Friday. Here are five elements of the issue that Hogue says she needs to further probe before she can make conclusions or recommendations.
New weight-loss drug Wegovy not a 'magic bullet,' doctor warns
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
Drew Carey is never quitting 'The Price Is Right'
Drew Carey took over as host of 'The Price Is Right' and hopes he’s there for life. 'I'm not going anywhere,' he told 'Entertainment Tonight' of the job he took over from longtime host Bob Barker in 2007.
Why your airfare may be getting more expensive
Skyrocketing airfare prices are linked to heightened competition and rising food and fuel, according to the CAA.
Manitoba man sentenced to house arrest for keeping fishing tournament funds meant for Children's Hospital Foundation
A Manitoba man who pleaded guilty to keeping the funds raised from an ice-fishing fundraiser for the Children's Hospital Foundation of Manitoba has been handed a sentence of 18 months house arrest.