By Justin Goulet

751 unmarked graves at Saskatchewan residential school: First Nation

Jun 24, 2021 | 9:23 AM

COWESSESS FIRST NATION — A First Nation in Saskatchewan says it has found 751 unmarked graves at the site of a former residential school near Regina.

The Cowessess First Nation stated that ground-penetrating radar recently discovered the graves at the former Marieval Indian Residential School.

The First Nation said that number is the highest to date found in Canada. The school was built in 1899 by Roman Catholic missionaries and the site is located about 160 kilometres east of Regina.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said, “no child should have ever been taken away from their families and communities, and robbed of their language, culture and identity.”

“No child should have spent their precious youth subjected to terrible loneliness and abuse. No child should have spent their last moments in a place where they lived in fear, never to see their loved ones again. And no families should have been robbed of the laughter and joy of their children playing, and the pride of watching them grow in their community.”

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Trudeau stated that he knows the findings in Saskatchewan “only deepen the pain that families, survivors and all Indigenous peoples and communities are already feeling, and that they reaffirm a truth that they have long known.”

“The hurt and the trauma that you feel is Canada’s responsibility to bear, and the government will continue to provide Indigenous communities across the country with the funding and resources they need to bring these terrible wrongs to light. While we cannot bring back those who were lost, we can – and we will – tell the truth of these injustices, and we will forever honour their memory.”

He said the findings at the Marieval site, and the recent discovery of 215 child graves in Kamloops, B.C. are part of a larger tragedy.

“They are a shameful reminder of the systemic racism, discrimination, and injustice that Indigenous peoples have faced – and continue to face – in this country. And together, we must acknowledge this truth, learn from our past, and walk the shared path of reconciliation, so we can build a better future.”

A National Indian Residential School Crisis Line is available 24 hours a day at 1-866-925-4419.