UBCIC condemns 'denialism' on fifth anniversary of Kamloops residential school 'potential burials' claim

On May 25, 2021, Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation claimed that over 200 "potential burials" had been discovered at the Kamloops Indian Residential School.

Since then, no bodies have been uncovered — a fact that has divided opinion both in public and among elected officials.

While many have remained steadfast in their belief that children who died at residential schools were buried in unmarked graves, others say it's unlikely such things ever took place, at least at that scale.

Those who fall into the latter group have been labelled "denialists," their desire to see more evidence called out as insensitive at best.

On the fifth anniversary of the claim, the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs has called on British Columbians to

"UBCIC commends Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc for their committed physical and archival investigative process and categorically rejects Residential School denialism promoted by a vocal few," UBCIC Chief Councillor Linda Innes wrote in a statement. "Attempts to minimize, cast doubt upon or erase the well-documented atrocities of Residential Schools is little more than racism, white supremacy and colonial violence."

UBCIC President, Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, said the occasion "marks a period of profound reflection, reawakened grieving and the pursuit of justice and reconciliation."

"In the five years since the announcement of potential burials at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School, the public conscience of Canada has fractured and First Nations across the country have carried out the heavy and unyielding work of truth-telling," he noted. "UBCIC commends the rigorous First Nations-led investigations into former Residential School sites and the unwavering efforts to identify children taken by the Residential School System and to ensure they remain the focus of our collective memory."

According to the Globe and Mail, excavations at the Kamloops Residential School could take place in 2027, "pending consent from Tk’emlúps and the roughly 120 communities throughout western Canada that sent children to the school."