Statement on Reconciliation

As the number of mass burial sites and unmarked graves continues to grow, including those from the Marieval Indian Residential School in Saskatchewan, we mourn with Indigenous people across Canada. The intergenerational trauma, loss of life, and cultural genocide these communities have experienced as a result of the atrocities committed by the Canadian government and Catholic Church is a difficult truth that we must acknowledge.

It has been six years since the federal government was invited by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to investigate these burial sites, yet only now is funding being provided. Such lack of action is unacceptable. We call on the federal government, in support of the Indian Residential School Survivors Society, to take action on all 94 calls to action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission report. As settlers, we all have a responsibility to do our part by advocating for reconciliation but also mourning this heartbreaking history and grieving for the First Nations, Métis and Inuit lives that were lost.

The PEA will continue to do the work to support meaningful reconciliation by providing education to our members on the history of the Residential School System, acting in solidarity with the survivors, and advocating for Indigenous rights.

If you aren’t familiar with this history, now is the time to learn. Read the TRC report, connect with elected officials and tell them to take action. You can also donate to the Indian Residential School Survivors Society of BC.

Scott McCannell
PEA Executive Director