Canada discovers more unmarked graves at another site

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
26 Jan 13:09
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66 more potential unmarked graves have been discovered at a site of a former boarding school for Indigenous children in Canada.

People gather to listen to drummers and singers at a memorial in front of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School. (Reuters)

Canadian media reported on Thursday the discovery of at least 66 more potential unmarked graves at a site of a former boarding school for Indigenous children in the westernmost Canadian province of British Columbia.

The Indian Civilization Act of 1819 established such schools in Canada, and they existed until the 1960s to culturally assimilate Indigenous children by removing them from their families and communities and forcibly suppressing their native identities, languages, and beliefs.

One of the local tribes discovered a possible burial site at the boarding school site, 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) from the city of Williams Lake.

The school was run by the Catholic Church from 1886 to 1981 before being taken over by the federal government, according to CTV News.

In Canada, such schools educated over 150,000 children. At least 3,200 students died in these boarding schools as a result of mistreatment and a lack of care.

The remains of 215 children aged three and up were discovered in British Columbia in May 2021 at the site of a former Indigenous boarding school. The practice of establishing such institutions has been condemned by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as a "tragedy."