E-Paper
Discovery of nearly 200 unmarked graves leaves PM Trudeau speechless
Canada’s national flag will fly at half-mast on Thursday on a landmark building in Ottawa as the country marks a sombre Canada Day amid a spate of discoveries of unmarked graves of indigenous people
Another 182 unmarked graves were discovered at a third former indigenous residential school in Canada as two Catholic Churches went up in flames on Wednesday, with anger mounting over the mushrooming abuse scandal.
The Lower Kootenay Band said experts using ground-penetrating radar mapping located what are believed to be the remains of pupils aged seven to 15 at the former St Eugene’s Mission School near Cranbrook, British Columbia, according to an AFP report.
The Catholic Church operated the school on behalf of the government from 1912 until the early 1970s.
The development follows the discovery of the remains of 215 children in unmarked graves at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School in British Columbia in May and 751 more unmarked graves at another school in Marieval, Saskatchewan last week.
FLAG TO BE LOWERED
Canada’s national flag will fly at half-mast on Thursday on a landmark building in Ottawa as the country marks a sombre Canada Day amid the spate of discoveries of unmarked graves of First Nations’ people.
First Nations refers to a Canada-based umbrella body that comprises several groups indigenous people.
Reacting to the latest discovery of graves, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted, “Today’s finding adds to the growing number of unmarked burial sites discovered near residential schools across Canada. Words always seem to fall short at moments like this.”
He said he has asked the flag at the Peace Tower in the country’s capital to remain at half-mast on the 154th anniversary of the formation of the Canadian Confederation, which is celebrated as Canada Day, as “people across the country continue to honour the Indigenous children whose lives were taken far too soon, and as we reflect on the tragedy of residential schools”.
The tower soars above the parliament building in the heart of Ottawa.
Celebrations of Canada Day were muted last year as well, due the Covid-19 pandemic, but this year some municipalities in Canada, including Victoria, capital of the province of British Columbia, have announced cancellation of the usual festivities including fireworks due to the residential schools tragedy.
‘NOT THE WAY TO GO’
The discoveries of graves have also led to a series of arson attacks on churches in Canada, a development that Trudeau said was “not the way to go” during a media interaction on Wednesday, according to the outlet Global News.
Reports of the burning down of churches have come from several provinces, including British Columbia, Ontario, Alberta and Nova Scotia.
First Nations’ leaders have sought a formal apology from Pope Francis following the discoveries of unmarked graves of children.
(With inputs from AFP)
