Beautiful Virgin Islands

Monday, Aug 04, 2025

The Indigenous genocide by British-Canada: The discovery of mass unmarked graves in Canada has Indigenous people asking: how many more?

The Indigenous genocide by British-Canada: The discovery of mass unmarked graves in Canada has Indigenous people asking: how many more?

Just like in Australia, The genocide of Canadian Natives children in residential schools was appalling – and racial injustices persist.
Last month, the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation found the remains of 215 children who had been buried in unmarked graves at the site of a former Indian residential school in British Columbia. Residential schools, which operated in Canada from 1883 to 1996, were government-funded, church-run institutions that took Indigenous children away from their families, with the aim of “[killing] the Indian in the child”.

This was not just a metaphor. The site of the unmarked graves that were discovered was one of many that are believed to exist at or near more than 100 residential schools all over Canada. These graves were often visible from the windows of the schools. Some children were even forced to bury their own classmates.

While the federal government of Canada sent condolences, it continued to water down its commitment to reconciliation. It is currently in the process of litigation to avoid paying compensation to residential school survivors and First Nations children. The long-awaited government response to an inquiry into murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls – prompted by the hugely disproportionate rates of violence they suffer, itself amounting to a “Canadian genocide” – was seen as just a plan to make a plan.

Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), which ran from 2008 to 2015, heard testimony from thousands of residential school survivors, families and staff about widespread physical and sexual abuse; starvation and neglect; medical experimentation; torture and death. In its final report, the TRC issued 94 calls to action, which called for local and central governments, along with churches, to release documents about the deaths of children in these schools and make resources available to help locate all the graves. It was never acted upon, so Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc had to raise funds itself to find the children. The latest discovery was made using ground-penetrating radar.

Residential schools were designed by the federal government and operated by the churches as part of the government’s “final solution to the Indian problem” – to quote a government official from 1907. The TRC documented at least 6,000 deaths in these schools but, given the lack of access to government and church documents, stated that the real figure was likely much higher. In 1907, Dr Peter Bryce, Canada’s chief medical officer, had raised the alarm, stating that the death rate at residential schools was 8,000 for every 100,000, putting the total number of deaths closer to 12,000. We won’t know until governments and churches fully disclose their documents. Neither governments nor the churches can argue that they did not know. Media at the time reported that “Indian boys and girls are dying like flies”.

The Catholic church was responsible for operating about 60% of the Indian residential schools in Canada. Thus, it holds a significant number of documents and has chosen not to disclose them all. The federal government also purged more than 15 tonnes of documents, including 200,000 documents from Indian Affairs, between 1936 and 1944. Even today, the federal government is withholding thousands of unredacted documents from the St Anne’s residential school survivors – records that survivors say prove their claims of abuse.

The residential school survivors participated in the TRC to save their grandchildren from the systemic discrimination and abuse that they experienced. Yet, the sad reality is that there are three times as many First Nations children in foster care today than at the height of residential schools, and the Canadian government has had a direct hand in making that tragedy happen. A federal government document shows that between 1989 and 2012, First Nations children spent more than 66m nights away from their families. The federal government underfunds First Nations children’s public services, which frustrates recovery from the multi-generational trauma that is the legacy of the residential schools.

The government adopted all of the TRC calls to action in 2015 with significant public support, however, when the media coverage died down so did the state’s enthusiasm for implementation. The news of the 215 children placed the TRC back on the front pages, directing attention to how few calls to action are being done.

Elsewhere, obstructionism and litigation reigns. The Canadian Human Rights Tribunal ordered the federal government to cease providing unequal public services to First Nations children in 2016, but it chose not to do so, spurring the tribunal to issue 19 further orders to press Canada to comply. On 14 June, the Canadian government is taking First Nations children to court again. Canada wants to deny children (and these are still children) $40,000 each in compensation.

Moreover, Indigenous female experts, advocates, grassroots groups and organisations speak out about Canada’s continued failures to take substantive steps to address its laws, policies and practices that have created and maintained high rates of race and sex-based discrimination, including children in care, over-incarceration, homelessness and violence.

Canadian representatives will offer flowery speeches about reconciliation with Indigenous peoples, while maintaining us in conditions that – to quote a lawyer who reviewed the schools in 1907 – are in “uncomfortable nearness with the charge of manslaughter”. We need the international community to push Canada to end these historical and ongoing injustices. It can – but it has so far chosen not to.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
Tesla Seeks Shareholder Approval for $29 Billion Compensation Package for Elon Musk
Nvidia is cutting prices on its RTX 50-series graphics cards after sales slowed and inventories piled up
Ghislaine Maxwell Transferred to Minimum-Security Prison Amid Ongoing DOJ Discussions
U.S. Tariffs Surge to Highest Levels in Nearly a Century Under Second Trump Term
Matt Taibbi Slams Media for Role in Russiagate Narrative
Pilots Call for Mental Health Support Without Stigma
All Five Trapped Miners Found Dead After El Teniente Mine Collapse
Ong Beng Seng Pleads Guilty in Corruption Case Linked to Former Singapore Transport Minister
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
Italy Fines Shein One Million Euros for Misleading Sustainability Claims
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
Declassified Annex Links Soros‑Affiliated Officials and Clinton Campaign to ‘Russiagate’ Narrative
UK's Online Safety Law: A Front for Censorship
Nationwide Protests Erupt in Brazil Demanding Presidential Resignation
Parents Abandon Child at Barcelona Airport Over Passport Issue
Mystery Surrounds Death of Brazilian Woman with iPhones Glued to Her Body
Bus Driver Discovers Toddler Hidden in Suitcase in New Zealand
Switzerland Celebrates 734 Years of Independence Amid Global Changes
U.S. Opens Official Investigation into Former Trump Prosecutor Jack Smith
Leaked audio of Canada's new PM Mark Carney admitting the truth about the Net Zero agenda: "We're gonna make a lot of money off of this."
China Enforces Comprehensive Ban on Cryptocurrency Activities
Absolutely 100% Realistic EVO Series Doll by EXDOLL (Chinese Company) used mainly for carnal purposes
World Economic Forum founder Klaus Schwab: "In this new world, we must accept... total transparency. You have to get used to it. You have to behave accordingly. But if you have nothing to hide, you shouldn't be afraid."
Meet Mufti Hamid Patel, head of Office for Standards in Education in Pakistan
George Soros tells the World Economic Forum: "President Trump is a con man and the ultimate narcissist, who wants the world to revolve around him."
Hamas are STARVING the hostages.
Decline in Tourism in Majorca Amidst Ongoing Anti-Tourism Protests
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
Poland Begins Excavation at Dziemiany After New Clue to World War II‑Era Nazi Treasure
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Threatens Canada with Tariffs Over Palestinian State Recognition
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Trump Sues Murdoch in “Heavyweight Bout”: Lawsuit Over Alleged Epstein Letter Sets Stage for Courtroom Showdown
Germany Enters Fiscal Crisis as Cabinet Approves €174 Billion in New Debt
Trump Administration Finalizes Broad Tariff Increases on Global Trade Partners
J.K. Rowling Limits Public Engagements Citing Safety Fears
JD.com Launches €2.2 Billion Bid for German Electronics Retailer Ceconomy
Azerbaijan Proceeds with Plan to Legalise Casinos on Artificial Islands
Former Judge Charged After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Comedian in Brazil
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Procter & Gamble to Raise U.S. Prices to Offset One‑Billion‑Dollar Tariff Cost
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
×