Halton Regional Council Unanimously Passes Resolution Calling on Government of Canada to Search all Former Residential School Sites, Proclaim National Day of Mourning

Halton Regional Council
Written By

At its meeting on June 16, Halton Regional Council unanimously carried a resolution from Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward and Ward 3 Councillor Rory Nisan calling on the Government of Canada to:

  • Proclaim a national day of mourning for all Canadians;
  • Authorize and support an immediate search of the locations of all former residential school for additional unmarked and mass graves and a national initiative to commemorate and protect Residential School burial sites across Canada through a process that must be Indigenous-led and carried out through ceremony;
  • Continue their efforts to implement the 94 Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, specifically Actions 71-76 regarding Missing Children and Burial Information.

A similar resolution was also unanimously passed by Burlington City Council at a Special Council Meeting on June 7, 2021. Click the link for more.To read the full resolution that was passed at Halton Regional Council, please see below.WHEREAS Canada has a long and shameful history of mistreatment of Indigenous Peoples and communities, including separating children from their families and sending them to Residential Schools;WHEREAS the goal of these schools was to “take the Indian out of the child,” as promoted by Canada’s first prime minister; using punishment and abuse, as documented in the findings of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the testimony of those who survived Residential Schools;WHEREAS this history is recent, with the last Residential School closing in 1996, and the lasting devastating impact continuing to be felt among generations of families whose children were taken, and the children who survived these schools, and their families;WHEREAS the remains of 215 Indigenous children were recently discovered in a mass unmarked grave at the Kamloops Indian Residential School located in Kamloops, British Columbia;WHEREAS agencies, governments and municipalities across the country, including Halton and all Halton municipalities, have lowered their flags in honour and memory of these children for one hour for each child, a total of nine days;WHEREAS Council acknowledges and supports the federal government’s decision to help fund the search for mass unmarked graves;WHEREAS Indigenous Peoples and communities continue to suffer under outdated and non-inclusive legislation and programs that carry forward this historically unacceptable treatment into the present day and hinders the healing process; andWHEREAS the Region of Halton acknowledges this process will take time and requires the support of all levels of government, working in collaboration with Indigenous Peoples;WHEREAS Halton Regional Council, comprised of municipal leaders, is committed to being a partner in this effort;WHEREAS Regional Council commits to learning more about indigenous issues, and welcomes the upcoming workshop on indigenous issues being planned by Regional staff in cooperation with our Indigenous lead;NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED:THAT Halton Regional Council calls on the Government of Canada to:

  • Proclaim a national day of mourning for all Canadians;
  • Authorize and support an immediate search of the locations of all former residential school for additional unmarked and mass graves and a national initiative to commemorate and protect Residential School burial sites across Canada through a process that must be Indigenous-led and carried out through ceremony;
  • Continue their efforts to implement the 94 Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, specifically Actions 71-76 regarding Missing Children and Burial Information;

AND THAT a copy of this resolution be sent to The Honourable Carolyn Bennett, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, Halton Members of Parliament, Halton Members of the Provincial Parliament, the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, the Six Nations of the Grand River, the Credit River Metis Council, the Grand River Metis Council and the Tungasuvvingat Inuit, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, the City of Burlington, the Town of Halton Hills, the Town of Milton, the Town of Oakville.RELATED LINKS:

--*Posted by John Bkila, Mayor's Media and Digital Communications Specialist

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