Madam Chair, when a mass grave containing the remains of 215 school children was discovered in Kamloops, it sent major shock waves throughout the nation. However, for many indigenous people, although the discovery opened tremendously deep wounds, it was not a surprise. According to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, at least 3,200 children died while attending residential schools. As I understand, that is one in every 50 students.
The mass grave in Kamloops is not the only site in Canada interring the remains of indigenous children who were forcibly removed from their families. This is Canada's national shame, and it is the incomprehensible and unfortunate reality that has impacted families across the country.
Survivors of residential schools remember the horrors of being taken from their parents and being removed from their communities and their cultures. Tragically, many of these survivors remember friends dying from diseases such as tuberculosis or because of negligence—