Question Period Note: Special Interlocutor for Missing Children and Unmarked Graves and Burial Sites Final Report

• We would like to thank the Special Interlocutor, Kimberly Murray, for her leadership and dedication to the complex truth-finding process of missing children and unmarked graves and burial sites.
• The Government will carefully review the Final Report of Interlocutor and its recommendations to inform next steps.
• Our government remains committed to addressing the ongoing legacy of Residential Schools and advance reconciliation with Indigenous peoples in Canada.

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If pressed on Indian Residential School Sites (Calls to Action 72-76) – Unmarked Burials
• Our thoughts are with Survivors, their families and communities as the truth about residential schools unmarked burials continues to be revealed.
• Funding is available to support communities, Survivors and their families on their healing journey through researching, locating, and memorializing those children who died while attending Indian residential schools.
If pressed on the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation or the National Residential School Death or Memorial Registers
• Canada has partnered with the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation to continue the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s work on the National Residential School Student Death and Memorial Registers.
• In 2019, the Centre launched a searchable online Memorial Register compiled from information collected while establishing the National Residential School Student Death Register.
• The Centre is developing an online registry of residential school cemeteries and unmarked burial sites.
• This work will provide important information for Survivors and families and contribute to inter-generational healing.
If pressed on Funding for Unmarked Burial Sites
• The Government of Canada has invested $343.4 million to date to support the implementation of Calls to Action 72 to 76, including a $91million investment over two years in Budget 2024.
• These investments support community-led efforts to locate, document, commemorate, and memorialize burial sites associated with former residential schools and to honour families’ wishes for next steps.
• As of October 23, 2024, 146 funding agreements are in place that will provide more than $216.6 million to Indigenous communities and organizations to support their community-led and Survivor-centric efforts.
If pressed on the National Advisory Committee on Residential Schools Missing Children and Unmarked Burials
• Canada has established a National Advisory Committee on Residential Schools Missing Children and Unmarked Burials, and is co-administrating the Committee with the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation.
• The Committee brings together individuals with experience and expertise in areas such as Indigenous laws and cultural protocols, forensics, archaeology, archival research, criminal investigations, and working with Survivors.
• The Committee engages with communities to identify needs and provide information and resources.
If pressed on timing of Canada’s response to the Special Interlocutor’s Final Report
• The Final Report holds immense significance and deserves careful and deliberate consideration.
• Many government departments, including Crown-Indigenous Relations, are taking the time to carefully review its four volumes.
• Canada continues to support Indigenous peoples as they undertake the crucial work of revealing the truth about missing children and unmarked graves and burial sites.
• The recommendations of the Special Interlocutor will inform next steps.