1st national gathering on residential school unmarked burials begins in Edmonton – CBC

Sep 13, 2022

Survivors, federal government and church representatives in attendance

An empty chair in a conference room of an Edmonton hotel this week is meant to represent the spirits of children who never returned home from Canada’s Indian residential school system, as special interlocutor Kimberly Murray hosts the first national gathering to discuss unmarked burials associated with the schools.

“It’s really important for them to know that we’re here to help, and not to do any harm to them,” said Murray, who is Kanien’kehá:ka from Kanesatake, Que.

The federal government appointed Murray in June with a two-year mandate to provide recommendations for a legal framework for the protection of burial sites at former residential schools, the identification of missing children and the potential repatriation of remains.

Read More: https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/residential-school-burials-gathering-1.6580850