(ZENIT News / Otawwa, 03.01.2025).- The Canadian government has quietly pulled funding for a committee investigating unmarked graves near former residential schools after years of costly research failed to produce physical evidence of human remains. The decision has reignited debate over the truth behind one of Canada’s most politically charged narratives and the role of both government and religious institutions in the country’s history.
Millions Spent, No Remains Found
The National Advisory Committee on Residential Schools, Missing Children, and Unmarked Burials (NAC) announced in mid-February that it was “extremely disappointed” by the federal government’s decision to withdraw financial support. The committee, which was jointly managed by the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation and the Department of Crown-Indigenous Relations, had been tasked with helping Indigenous communities locate and commemorate children who allegedly went missing from residential schools.
Despite millions of dollars allocated to the effort, no bodies have been found on lands associated with these government-mandated schools, many of which were operated by Catholic and Anglican churches. The initial funding for the project, budgeted in 2022, was set to expire in 2025, with approximately $216.5 million already spent. Notably, $7.9 million dedicated to fieldwork has yet to yield any physical discoveries.
The Kamloops Claim and Its Fallout
The global uproar surrounding unmarked graves began in 2021 when the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation claimed to have discovered 215 burial sites at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School. However, the claim was based solely on ground-penetrating radar scans, which detect soil disturbances but do not confirm the presence of human remains. In the years since, the claim has been revised from “215 graves” to “200 potential burials,” with no excavations providing further clarity.
Nonetheless, media outlets and political figures amplified the initial allegations, leading to widespread public outrage. In the wake of these reports, 112 churches—many serving Indigenous communities—were vandalized, desecrated, or burned across Canada, with most attacks targeting Catholic churches.
Trudeau’s Stance and Ongoing Misinformation
Despite the lack of confirmed physical evidence, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has continued to publicly assert that unmarked graves have been discovered. As recently as June 2024, he reiterated this claim, fueling continued controversy and criticism.
The residential school system, which operated from the late 19th century until the last school closed in 1996, was a government initiative designed to assimilate Indigenous children into Western society. While religious organizations, particularly the Catholic Church, administered many of these institutions, the schools were established and funded by the federal government.
Tragic deaths did occur within the system, but historical evidence suggests that many children succumbed to diseases such as tuberculosis, worsened by inadequate government funding for healthcare and sanitation. A retired Manitoba judge, Brian Giesbrecht, criticized the Trudeau administration in October 2024, stating that Canadians were being “deliberately misled by their own government” as it continued to push a narrative that unfairly placed blame on the Catholic Church for “secret burials.”
A Politicized Narrative?
While there is no dispute that abuses took place in some residential schools, the claims of mass graves and hidden burials remain unproven. Critics argue that the unverified allegations have fueled an anti-Catholic backlash and undermined historical accuracy.
The government’s quiet withdrawal of funding suggests an implicit acknowledgment that the evidence has not supported the dramatic claims made in recent years.
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