Urgent Action: JUSTICE FOR INDIGENOUS CHILDREN (Canada: UA 70.21)

On May 27, 2021 the remains of 215 Indigenous children were found on the grounds of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School in British Columbia. Remains have also been found on the grounds of the former Brandon Indian Residential School in Manitoba, and it is expected that remains could be confirmed at additional sites across Canada. Residential schools were part of a colonial policy to eradicate Indigenous cultures, languages, and communities. While the last school closed in 1996, intergenerational trauma, ongoing harms and discriminatory practices continue. The Canadian government must take responsibility for ending human rights abuses against Indigenous peoples now.

TAKE ACTION:

1. Please take action as-soon-as possible. This Urgent Action expires on July 26, 2021.
2. Write a letter in your own words or using the sample below as a guide to one or both government officials listed. You can also email, fax, call or Tweet them.
3. Click here to let us know the actions you took on Urgent Action 70.21. It’s important to report because we share the total number with the officials we are trying to persuade and the people we are trying to help.

CONTACT INFORMATION

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SAMPLE LETTER Dear Prime Minister Trudeau, On May 27, 2021, the remains of 215 Indigenous children were found on the grounds of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School in Tk’emlups te Secwépemc First Nation near Kamloops, British Columbia. These children should never have been taken from their families. The Canadian government is responsible for discriminatory colonial policies and practices like residential schools, and Canada must take responsibility for ending human rights abuses against Indigenous peoples now. I call on you to take the following actions without delay:

• Investigate and prosecute those responsible for the deaths of Indigenous children at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School and other former residential and day schools;
• Where requested by affected communities, fully fund examinations of burial grounds at other former residential and day schools and ensure that Indigenous peoples control access to sites according to their own laws and customs;
• Continue urging the Catholic Church to release all records and photos related to residential schools, and again seek an apology and reparations for survivors and their families;
• Implement the calls in the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada’s Spirit Bear Plan, including stopping litigation of First Nations children;
• Fully fund mental health and other services to support Indigenous peoples in dealing with traumas caused by colonial policies and practices, in accordance with their wishes; and
• Implement the 94 calls to action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

There must be justice and accountability for the harms that First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples in Canada experience. Sincerely, [YOUR NAME] ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

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