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Dear UFNWT members and friends,
A candle of sorrow and concern was lit during our Zoom call on Sunday for the 215 children and their families and communities.
“Canada owes it to Survivors of residential schools to do better. And, we’ve had enough of the crocodile tears and empty promises of the past five years.
What we need is meaningful action and we’ll continue trying to hold Canada to account for these failures.” ~Yellowhead Institute
First Nations groups say giving children proper burial will help families find closure following discovery of 215 bodies at Kamloops school.
At Unitarian Fellowship of Northwest Toronto, we stand with Indigenous groups in Canada who are calling for a nationwide search for unmarked graves at residential school sites.
Please see the following message from the CUC which contains suggestions on how to channel some of our distress into action.
In Solidarity,
Melanie Walters
UFNWT Board Chair
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From: 'Vyda Ng' via CUC Leaders <cuc-leaders@googlegroups.com>
Canadian Unitarian Universalists share the grief and sorrow over the recent discovery of the remains of 215 children on the site of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School.
We are profoundly shaken, while recognizing that sadly it does not come as a shock to many Indigenous families across the country.
The discovery further shows the immense harm done by the residential school system and the effects that continue to be felt today.
This is genocide, and there are remains of children and youth at almost every former residential school site. It is a start, but not enough, for the government to offer reparations for the 215 children; we urge that it must be a priority to recover the remains of all the other lost children.
The CUC committed in 2014 to upholding the recommendations of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and we reaffirm our support for implementing this, as well as the calls to action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, as the best means of addressing the injustices Indigenous people in Canada face.
We encourage Canadians to write to their Member of Parliament to press for action that will help repair some of the harm done, to consider donating to the Indian Residential School Survivors Society, and to continue the work to educate ourselves about the history and impact of the residential school system.
Together we must ensure that every child matters and no children are forgotten.
