On National Indigenous Peoples Day, the Cree Nation of Chisasibi announced that it will conduct research at five sites of the two former residential schools on Fort George Island. This is the first Aboriginal community in Quebec to confirm that it will move forward on this file.
The discovery of potential unmarked graves in Kamloops just over a year ago has led many communities across the country to consider conducting research on their own territory. Others Quebec communities are still carrying outs consultations on the matter.
“We will conduct field research, knowing that the answers will be difficult for many people, inside and outside the Eeyou-Istchee territory,” Chief Daisy House said in a statement.
However, the searches will be complex due to the state of the sites, which are now covered in debris, sand, trees and shacks, making the scanning process more difficult.
Chief House is also calling on the churches that operated these residential schools to share their records and open their archives. “Our missing children never came home. The place where they are is sacred – it is up to us to honor their memory,” she added.
The Chief of the Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador, Ghislain Picard, was also present at the time of the announcement in Chisasibi. “I fully support the research undertaken by the Cree Nation of Chisasibi on Fort George Island. We also call on the Catholic and Anglican churches to release all records of these residential schools so that the truth emerges,” he said.
Expected answers
Due to changing weather conditions and the risk of frost at the site, it is difficult to predict how long it will take to complete the process. However, it is recommended that the ground penetrating radar survey take place over a two-year period, reads a report detailing the findings of the consultations.
The Cree community has decided to move forward to get answers, “especially for former residential school students and survivors,” Chief Daisy House said, adding that this first step is necessary “when there is It’s about intergenerational trauma caused by residential schools.
The National Center for Truth and Reconciliation reports the deaths of 16 former students who attended institutions in Fort George. These were the first two boarding schools for Aboriginals to be built in Quebec: an Anglican boarding school opened from 1933 to 1975 and a Catholic boarding school opened from 1937 to 1981.