In 2021, the Tk'emlups te Secwepemc First Nation announced a heartbreaking discovery that reignited national attention on Canada's history of residential schools. A preliminary radar search on the grounds of Kamloops Indian Residential School uncovered what are believed to be the remains of 215 children. This shocking revelation highlighted the ongoing struggle against residential school denialism, a form of hate speech that undermines the painful truths of Canada's past. In response, proposed legislation, Bill C-413, seeks to criminalize the promotion of residential school denialism, reflecting a critical step in protecting Indigenous peoples from hate speech and violence.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada's comprehensive 2015 report documented extensive evidence of systemic abuses and neglect within residential schools. Thousands of children died while attending these institutions, yet there was a glaring lack of record-keeping concerning their deaths or burial sites. As Raymond Frogner noted, "In many cases, there is no death certificate, but there are journal entries of a lost child, or the quarterly report indicates that the child is no longer at the school." This absence of records underscores the magnitude of the tragedy faced by Indigenous communities.
Residential school denialism poses a profound threat as it seeks to erase Indigenous histories and cultures. Kisha Supernant articulated, "We’re not trying to prove children died; that’s well established." The insidious nature of denialism makes it difficult to identify but incredibly damaging as it attempts to maintain the colonial status quo. Leah Carleton argued, "What they're trying to do is shake public confidence in the truth, to close off the avenues to healing and justice and reconciliation."
The phenomenon of denialism is not unique to Canada. It mirrors global trends where hate speech and denialism intersect, making it a critical issue for international attention. The proposed Bill C-413 is modeled on recent changes to Canada's Criminal Code that criminalize Holocaust denialism, marking an important legislative effort to combat this harmful rhetoric.
Since the Kamloops announcement, there has been a significant increase in community interest in searching for unmarked graves. However, many funding agreements for these searches will conclude by this year or in 2026. Kisha Supernant expressed concern, stating, "I worry… that without that support and without that resourcing, communities aren’t going to get what they need, and it’s just going to continue to do harm."
Efforts toward reconciliation have seen progress, with the Trudeau government completing the TRC's "Calls to Action" by June 2021, including establishing a National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Yet survivors like Geraldine Shingoose stress the urgency of preserving their stories: "As a survivor, I'm out there sharing my story. I've shared my story probably with over 25,000 individuals in schools, universities and organisations." She warns that without active listening, these narratives may be lost.
