Treaty One Nation Sends Support to Cowessess First Nation

Grounds Search Leads to Horrific Discovery of Largest Unmarked Gravesite at Marieval RS

Treaty 1 Territory, Winnipeg MB – Today, the Treaty One Nation sends Cowessess First Nation prayers and support for the recent and horrific discovery of hundreds of unmarked graves at the site of the former Marieval Indian Residential School (IRS) in Saskatchewan.

“The Treaty One Nation is saddened to learn that more children’s bodies were found on the grounds of the former Marieval IRS – the largest gravesite discovery to date,” said Spokesperson Chief Dennis  Meeches.  “As we continue with the painful but necessary ground searches at Residential Schools here in Manitoba, we are always heartbroken to hear of more babies being found in mass burial sites across Turtle Island.  We send our condolences to the families and communities of these precious children, and we will continue to honour all the survivors of IRS across our Nations.”

The Treaty One Nation recently passed a unanimous resolution to call on Canada to recognize Indian Residential Schools as genocide as defined in the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide Article II as: acts “committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group”.

“We will continue to call on the government to acknowledge Indian Residential Schools as what it was – genocide – and to fund the searches and return of these children to their families and communities.  Part of reconciliation is to admit the truth, and we will not stop until Canada shares the truth of Indian Residential Schools,” added Chief Meeches.

Anyone experiencing pain or distress as a result of their residential school experience can access this 24-hour, toll-free and confidential National Indian Residential School Crisis Line at 1-866-925-4419

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For further information or to arrange an interview with Chief Meeches, please contact Blair Strong, Communications Coordinator at Treaty One Nation. Email: bstrong@treaty1.ca