Content warning: this statement contains information regarding Indian Residential Schools.
A National Residential School Crisis Line is available to provide support for former Residential School students. Emotional and crisis referral services are available by calling the 24-hour national crisis line: 1-866-925-4419.
The Hope for Wellness Line is available to all Indigenous peoples and provides immediate, toll-free telephone and on-line support and crisis intervention 24 hours a day, seven days a week and is available in English, French and, upon request, Cree, Ojibway and Inuktitut. Trained counsellors are available by phone at 1-855-242-3310 or by online chat on their website.
Today, the Honourable Arif Virani, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, issued the following statement after receiving the Final Report of the Independent Special Interlocutor for Missing Children and Unmarked Graves and Burial Sites associated with Indian Residential Schools:
"We cannot ignore the lasting impact of the Indian residential school system and the pain it has caused to Indigenous peoples. The harmful legacy of residential schools, which is one of lost children, languages and cultures, lost opportunities to thrive, grow and live full healthy lives and silenced truths, continues to be deeply felt today and cannot be denied.
"In June 2022, Kimberly Murray was appointed as Special Interlocutor to work with First Nations, Inuit and Métis Survivors, families and communities to identify needed measures and recommend a new federal legal framework to ensure the respectful and culturally appropriate treatment of unmarked graves and burial sites associated with former residential schools.
"I thank First Nations, Inuit and Métis Survivors, families and community members from coast to coast to coast who courageously shared their stories, knowledge and experiences with the Special Interlocutor in order to produce the Final Report.
"Today, on behalf of the Government of Canada, I have the honour of receiving the Special Interlocutor's Final Report, an Indigenous-led Reparations Framework, which is being delivered concurrently to myself and First Nations, Inuit and Métis Survivors, communities and families. It is my sincere hope that the Special Interlocutor's Final Report and the recommendations in it will honour the memory of the children who never returned home from residential schools and will lead to healing for families and Survivors.
"I thank Kimberly Murray for her crucial work listening to Survivors and families and identifying needed measures and recommendations for a new federal legal framework, to ensure that unmarked graves and burial sites at former residential schools are treated with the respect and protection they deserve. Kim Murray's work has contributed significantly to telling and acknowledging the truth. There is still more to be learned, accepted and understood.
"In line with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act and to continue the government's efforts towards reconciliation, we will work with First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities to address the ongoing legacy of Indian Residential Schools in a way that respects their wishes and traditions."
