Federal Justice Minister David Lametti is receptive to the recommendations outlined in a recent report that proposes legal actions against Canadians who engage in residential school denialism. The report, titled “Sacred Responsibility: Searching for the Missing Children and Unmarked Burials,” was presented by Kimberly Murray, an appointee of the Justice Ministry who was tasked with identifying measures to address unmarked graves and burial sites at former Indian residential schools.
According to Murray’s interim report, which was released in Saskatchewan, the federal government should urgently consider implementing legal tools to combat denialism, including both civil and criminal sanctions. The report highlights that many international experts view denialism as the final stage of genocide.
Lametti, who participated in the event through video conference, expressed his openness to all suggestions for addressing residential school denialism, including the possibility of outlawing it using a legal solution. He referenced other countries that have criminalized Holocaust denial as a potential model for Canada.
Murray, the former executive director of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, conducted extensive consultations with First Nations communities in her role as independent special interlocutor. Her report states that denialists are questioning announcements regarding potential unmarked graves and children who attended church- or state-run schools in the past. The report highlights instances of denialists engaging in confrontations, both online and in person, and attempting to discredit the claims made by Indigenous communities.
The report emphasizes the need for the government and churches to take responsibility and provide proper care, respect, and dignity to the bodies and spirits of the missing children. It also highlights the importance of upholding human rights principles and not being morally indifferent toward victims of genocide and mass human rights violations.
The report suggests that Indian Residential School denialism should be considered a hate crime, echoing the proposal made by MP Leah Gazan. Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Marc Miller also expresses his interest in reviewing proposed legislation in response to denialism. The report notes that denialism appears to be predominantly a non-Indigenous issue.
It is important to note that so far, no excavations have taken place to recover remains at any of the sites suspected to contain unmarked graves of Indigenous children.