grave doubt

Today (September 8, 2023) the National Gathering on Unmarked Burials wraps-up in Montreal.

Last month, the first excavation of a potential unmarked burial site at a former Indian residential school, took place. Given the church basement location of the dig, discovery of human remains would have been macabre. However, the Pine Creek First Nation (Manitoba) found no such evidence.

Not that one excavation is determinative, but the National Post reports there are those now saying the whole matter is a hoax. In weak defense against such response, their September 6, 2023, story FIRST READING: First Nations never said there were mass graves at residential schools alleges that no one in Canada ever suggested past wrong-doing: The claims of “mass graves” or mass murder came mostly from foreign outlets.

The National Post report specifies: No First Nation performing the surveys ever claimed that these were “mass graves,” that they were deliberately concealed or that they were the result of homicide. Not true.

Perhaps the most important indigenous voice on the issue is Kimberley Murray, Independent Special Interlocutor for Missing Children and Unmarked Graves and Burial Sites associated with Indian Residential Schools. She is Mohawk, a lawyer, and in charge of the National Gathering event. While well aware of the legal concept Corpus Delecti, she has reached the non-evidentiary verdict that there are children buried in unmarked graves, from genocide carried out by Canada and the Church. In her view any denial of that certainty should be a federal hate-crime.

In British Columbia a number of ground-penetrating radar searches have taken place, including at St. Joseph’s Mission in Williams Lake. The BC government just bought the residential school church and land for the band so that they can continue investigations on their own terms. The Ministry of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation news release, Williams Lake First Nation purchases residential school site, includes this Quick Fact:

Since September 2021, Williams Lake First Nation has led the investigation on lands historically associated with St. Joseph’s Mission and has released its preliminary findings of 159 reflections that indicate the presence of burials. (emphasis added)

This assertion comes from the First Nation’s own statement on the matter. It is pretty clear that both the Province and the Band are implying a direct link between the reflections and the presence of burials.

An earlier Global News piece titled First Nation says search finds 66 potential new burial sites at former B.C. residential school included input from Williams Lake First Nation member, archeologist and lead investigator, Whitney Spearing:

Whitney Spearing, the lead investigator at the site said historical records indicate 16 children died while attending the school, but their investigation has revealed a minimum of 28 children died while attending the school.

“We are also aware that many of these children are buried at the mission in unmarked graves,” she said. (emphasis added)

Beyond this unsupported declaration, the same Global News story contains a January 2023 video called 93 is our number (that number of potential graves has now increased to 159). In it Chief Willie Sellars reads a statement that includes:

This journey has led our investigation team into the darkest recesses of human behaviour. Our team has recorded not only stories involving the murder and disappearing of children and infants. They have listened to countless stories of systematic torture. (emphasis added)

Systematic torture and murder … if such beyond-serious allegations are shown to be true, then Canada must acknowledge its malevolent place along side the likes of Hitler’s Nazis and Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge.

According to the National Post reporter, suggestions of mass murder by the media only came from foreign outlets. However, wrapping up the 93 is our number video, a trusted Global News anchorwoman summarizes the state of unmarked grave discovery in BC:

This is the 4th discovery of remains at former residential schools in BC. The 1st revelation came in May at the site of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School where graves holding the remains of more than 200 children were found. In June, 182 unmarked graves were discovered at the former St. Eugene’s Mission near Cranbrook. Next the Penelakut tribe revealed the presence of more than 160 undocumented and unmarked graves at the Kuper Island residential school. And finally, today as you have just heard, 93 more possible graves at St. Joseph’s Mission near Williams Lake. (emphasis added)

If there are hundreds of unaccounted-for bodies, then it follows that this indicates mass murder cover-up. Information presented in this manner, by friendly local news personalities, leads the average viewer to believe that the evidence of sinister criminality is in and undeniable.

Getting back to the Pine Creek situation, Global News ran at least 6 anticipatory reports leading up to the church basement excavation. Yet 3 weeks after nothing was found, they haven’t bothered to clarify the now-uninteresting conclusion.

Contrary to the National Post story, virtue-signalling government, hyperbolic media and outraged First Nations, all within Canada, have rushed to judgement. The unmarked grave question requires many more excavations to determine it one way or the other. Lurid accusations, or conversely claims of fabrication, should stay on the shelf until then.