Trudeau to visit B.C. First Nation that found 93 possible burial sites at former residential school site
Global News
His scheduled visit to Williams Lake First Nation comes the same week an Indigenous delegation is in Vatican City for private meetings with Pope Francis.
Warning: This story deals with disturbing subject matter that may upset and trigger some readers. Discretion is advised.
The Williams Lake First Nation (WLFN) is scheduled to host Prime Minister Justin Trudeau this week, just over two months after it announced findings from its initial investigation into possible unmarked burials near a former residential school and highlighted the unthinkable abuse faced by Indigenous children who’d been forced to attend.
“WLFN will be welcoming the prime minister and his team next week to the Secwepemc territory,” the nation confirmed in a statement to Global News last week.
“His visit comes after the announcement of Jan. 25, where the WLFN found 93 reflections at the former St. Joseph’s Mission site.”
On Jan. 25, Kúkpi7 (Chief) Willie Sellars held a news conference to announce an initial sweep of the former site of the St. Joseph’s Mission Residential School had detected 93 “reflections” or anomalies in the ground, indicating possible burial sites. The investigation into whether the “reflections” contain human remains is ongoing.
Kúkpi7 Sellars, whose father was forced to attend the institution, told reporters that the efforts to continue searching the lands around residential schools across Canada, identifying the lost children and seeking accountability for the crimes committed against them would require a national approach.
“An individual task force in each province could be a good start, but it’s not a criminal investigation that we could lead at the WLFN,” he said in a later interview with Global News at the time, adding that the provincial and federal governments approved the nation’s request for funding to conduct its own investigation shortly after Tk’emlúps te Secwe̓pemc announced 215 possible unmarked burials near the former Kamloops Indian Residential School last May.
There is a cemetery on some of the lands, now privately owned, of the torn-down St. Joseph’s Mission Residential School, which was run by the Oblates of Mary Immaculate.
For the first time in its three-year history, the University of Regina Cougars golf club is heading to the United States to try their luck in an international tournament.
After nearly 20 years in federal politics, Mark Holland says 'it's time to go home,' announcing he will not run in the upcoming election.
A 19-year-old woman accused of stabbing a six-year-old boy in downtown Halifax last month has been ordered to undergo a 30-day psychiatric assessment.
The scene of the bus flying through the air and quickly slamming to the ground was captured by a security camera. Parents and witnesses watched on helplessly.
Montreal is increasing police patrols and cracking down on loitering in the metro system in response to a massive rise in people struggling with drug addiction and mental illness.
Like Liberal leaders before him, the Conservatives are attempting to define Liberal Leader Mark Carney to voters before he has a chance to.
'I'm proud to have served a country full of people who stand up for what's right,' Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a video on his last day in office.
Shortly after midnight, stargazers can catch a glimpse of the total lunar eclipse, or a full worm blood moon.
The Canada Revenue Agency says it's working to update its systems to reflect the current inclusion rate on capital gains after a last-minute reversal by the federal government.
The family behind one of Canada’s most well-known ice-cream brands says they’re absorbing “all immediate increases in our costs” as the U.S.-Canada trade war heats up.
Friedrich Trump called his business in Bennett, a town that sprang up because of the Klondike Gold Rush, the Arctic Restaurant & Hotel.
A new poll suggests that 40 per cent of Canadians are worried about losing their jobs as many businesses scale back hiring plans in response to the trade war with the U.S.
At the Halifax Stanfield International Airport, the tariff trade war between Canada and the U.S. is leaving flyers who travel between the two countries feeling very uneasy.