News

The Faculty of Health grieves with Indigenous communities on the discovery of children’s remains on or near residential school properties. In May 2021, the unmarked graves of 215 children were located on the site of the former Kamloops Residential School. This number continues to grow as searches are on-going across the country to locate the children who needlessly died within the residential school system. In response, the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous First Nations Chief Bobby Cameron rightly said, “This was a crime against humanity; an assault on First Nations people.”

The Faculty of Health stands in solidarity with Indigenous communities across the country and are committed to amplifying Indigenous voices and taking action to respond to the Truth and Reconciliation Report. We encourage everyone to engage with and learn this history of genocide, which is our shared history. We also call on all health professionals to acknowledge the past and current harms we are espousing upon Indigenous peoples and to work toward intended treaty practices of peace and friendship.

Resources:

• For anyone affected by this news, the Indian Residential School Survivors and Family Crisis Line can be reached at 1-866-925-4419
• A list of 48 books by Indigenous writers to understand residential schools (CBC)
• Indigenous Canada is a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) from the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta, exploring Indigenous histories and contemporary issues in Canada through an Indigenous lens.
  
• Reconciliation Canada: Visit their website for information and/or listen to panel discussions on Facebook, moderated by Candy Palmater