At a former residential school for indigenous children in Canada remains of 215 children were found buried with some children being as young as three.
The School for indigenous children once used to be the largest residential school in Canada's school system. The Kamloops Indian Residential School in British Columbia was closed in 1978, according to the Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc Nation. Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc Chief Rosanne Casimir described the discovery as “unthinkable”.
"We had a knowing in our community that we were able to verify," Chief of the operation Rosanne Casimir said in a statement." At this time, we have more questions than answers."
It found more than 4,100 children died while attending residential school. In 2008, the Canadian government formally apologized for the system. The deaths of these 215 children are believed to not have been included in that figure and appear to have been undocumented until the discovery.
Diseases, such as tuberculosis, neglect, child abuse, and malnourishment were some of the main causes of death.
Canada's residential school system, which forcibly separated indigenous children from their families, constituted "cultural genocide," a six-year investigation into the now-defunct system found in 2015.
Canada's Prime Minister Trudeau wrote in a tweet that the news "breaks my heart—it is a painful reminder of that dark and shameful chapter of our country's history."
“I am thinking about everyone affected by this distressing news. We are here for you,” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted Friday,” Trudeau wrote.
“The news that remains were found at the former Kamloops residential school breaks my heart – it is a painful reminder of that dark and shameful chapter of our country’s history. I am thinking about everyone affected by this distressing news. We are here for you,” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted Friday.
