The Prince Albert Grand Council(PAGC) is standing with Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc and residential school Survivors after masked demonstrators gathered near the former Kamloops Indian Residential School on Sunday.
The demonstration took place on Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc’s lands, just days before Orange Shirt Day and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on Sept. 30. It occurred near the site where the First Nation announced in 2021 that ground-penetrating radar had identified 215 potential burial sites.
“What happened on Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc lands is shameful and cruel,” PAGC Grand Chief Brian Hardlotte said in a release.
“Imagine what it feels like for a Survivor to see this,” he said. “White nationalists hiding behind masks and denying what our people went through. Our Survivors should never have to defend the truth of what happened to them. They have already been through enough.”
Hardlotte said attempts to deny residential school history are particularly painful as First Nations prepare to honour Survivors and remember the children who never came home.
“Our Survivors know the truth because they lived it,” he said. “Their truth cannot be erased.”
For more than a century, First Nations, Inuit and Métis children were removed from their families and sent to residential schools. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission found the system was part of a policy of cultural genocide. The harm did not end when the last school closed in 1996. Its impacts continue to be felt by Survivors, their families and their communities.
PAGC said reconciliation must be grounded in truth and the experiences of Survivors, and that racism, hatred and attempts to deny or minimize residential school history must be challenged. PAGC is calling on governments, police and public leaders to condemn such demonstrations and to support Survivors and communities affected by them.
In Prince Albert, PAGC is inviting the public to stand with Survivors by attending its Truth and Reconciliation Day gathering Sept. 30 at PAGC Urban Services.“This is a time to come together,” Hardlotte. “We invite everyone towear orange and join us in honouring Survivors.”
The gathering runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will include an opening prayer and honour song, remarks, a presentation on the meaning of Orange Shirt Day, lunch and afternoon entertainment.
PAGC is also encouraging people to deepen their understanding of the residential school system, learn about the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action and challenge denialism when they encounter it.
“Reconciliation begins with truth,” he said. “We honour Survivors by carrying that truth forward. Every child matters, not just on Sept. 30, but every day.”
Survivors and those affected by the residential school system can access 24-hour support through the Indian Residential Schools Crisis Line at 1-866-925-4419.
