
You likely have heard about the discovery of the remains of 215 children at the Kamloops Residential School in late May 2021. This discovery is on top of the documented more than 4,100 children previously identified by the TRC’s Missing Children’s Project. Some of the remains are of children as young as three years old. Circles for Reconciliation acknowledges these findings and recognizes they are not simply rumours. This is a horrible legacy of our Canadian past.
This heartbreaking news is too familiar for many Indigenous families across Canada. Waves of grief continue to flow through many of our Indigenous communities as they remember their own stories of residential school. For non-Indigenous people, we must act, as Commissioner Murray Sinclair has said. “If ever there was a call for Reconciliation, now is the time we must respond. Let us begin with a moment of silence to remember these children, their families and their communities, and recommit ourselves to reconciliation.”
At this time, a moment of silence will be taking place in all our circles to remember the many children who lost their lives; to remember their families and their communities that are grieving. We encourage everyone to engage in other activities appropriate to their situation.