Remains of 215 children found buried at former B.C. residential school, First Nation says

[Jub]

Given the Canadian Governments current fiscal issues (all revenues are way down since March 2020), them not giving funding is not surprising.

It's disappointing, but not surprising.

Cut police budgets or military spending. Or don't move ahead with various pork-barrel projects. The funds are there.

[Solauren]

Cut police budgets or military spending. Or don't move ahead with various pork-barrel projects. The funds are there.

You must have Canada confused for the United States. Unlike the US, Canada doesn't spend half if's GNP on the military.
Most of the budget this year appears to be focused on helping people and businesses recover from the pandemic.

Please look over the 2021 Federal Budget
https://www.budget.gc.ca/2021/pdf/budget-2021-en.pdf

and tell me where you could make cuts.

[Zaune]

Also, I can't recall where I saw it but I read somewhere that the reason the funds weren't allocated was that there's some confusion about whose jurisdiction it would fall under: I think they were expecting to find a few dozen plots in a cemetery that had returned to wilderness, not a mass grave.

Although the logical place for the money to come from would be the RCMP and/or provincial police service at this point, because this is literally a homicide investigation.

[Solauren]

Yeah, I agree. On so many levels, this is a multi-mass homicide investigation, and the RCMP and Provincial Police (where applicable, some provinces don't have provincial police) should be involved.

[Jub]

Cut police budgets or military spending. Or don't move ahead with various pork-barrel projects. The funds are there.

You must have Canada confused for the United States. Unlike the US, Canada doesn't spend half if's GNP on the military.
Most of the budget this year appears to be focused on helping people and businesses recover from the pandemic.

Please look over the 2021 Federal Budget
https://www.budget.gc.ca/2021/pdf/budget-2021-en.pdf

and tell me where you could make cuts.

How much do you think this would cost? Do you really think we can't find less than $10 million in military and RCMP budgets to make this happen?

[Solauren]

How much do you think this would cost? Do you really think we can't find less than $10 million in military and RCMP budgets to make this happen?

I don't know. See if you can.

Seriously. I'm sick of people saying 'find it in the budget', 'why don't thy...". That is the budget. If you think it's that easy, GO DO IT.

[Jub]

I don't know. See if you can.

Seriously. I'm sick of people saying 'find it in the budget', 'why don't thy...". That is the budget. If you think it's that easy, GO DO IT.

You know what, fuck it, just add an extra 10 million to this year's deficit and get it done. Given that we're already running ~2.0 trillion in the red we can handle a rounding error to do the right thing with regards to making amends for the horrors of the past.

[loomer]

Given the Canadian Governments current fiscal issues (all revenues are way down since March 2020), them not giving funding is not surprising.

It's disappointing, but not surprising.

Unfortunately, this isn't a 'this year' issue - the Canadian government has consistently failed to allocate adequate resources to follow up on the calls to action in the TRC report since it was issued, in the same way that it consistently fails to do anything about the water access crisis affecting many First Nations.

Also, I can't recall where I saw it but I read somewhere that the reason the funds weren't allocated was that there's some confusion about whose jurisdiction it would fall under: I think they were expecting to find a few dozen plots in a cemetery that had returned to wilderness, not a mass grave.

Although the logical place for the money to come from would be the RCMP and/or provincial police service at this point, because this is literally a homicide investigation.

Any such expectation was bullshit from the start - we knew there were mass graves, unmarked, and not just cemeteries that were misplaced. The accounts of survivors spoke of them constantly.

Yeah, I agree. On so many levels, this is a multi-mass homicide investigation, and the RCMP and Provincial Police (where applicable, some provinces don't have provincial police) should be involved.

The RCMP should in no way be involved except maybe footing the bill, because they were actively complicit in the crimes. You don't ask a murderer to investigate the murders they committed.

[Darth Yan]

A group of Canadian lawyers are calling on the ICC to launch a formal investigation. Given that the Canadian government seems unwilling to prosecute surviving perpetrators, good - let's hope it happens.

How many perpetrators are even alive at this point? It's like the holocaust. Most of the war criminals would be really old by this point if they're alive (which doesn't mean saying they shouldn't be. It's never too late for justice.)

[loomer]

A group of Canadian lawyers are calling on the ICC to launch a formal investigation. Given that the Canadian government seems unwilling to prosecute surviving perpetrators, good - let's hope it happens.

How many perpetrators are even alive at this point? It's like the holocaust. Most of the war criminals would be really old by this point if they're alive (which doesn't mean saying they shouldn't be. It's never too late for justice.)

Well, the residential system was still active up through the 80s and 90s, so, you tell me.

[Broomstick]

Any such expectation was bullshit from the start - we knew there were mass graves, unmarked, and not just cemeteries that were misplaced. The accounts of survivors spoke of them constantly

Unfortunately survivors of genocide the world over are usually discounted, told their exaggerating, etc. Never underestimate the ability of people to engage in denial.

[Solauren]

Any such expectation was bullshit from the start - we knew there were mass graves, unmarked, and not just cemeteries that were misplaced. The accounts of survivors spoke of them constantly

Unfortunately survivors of genocide the world over are usually discounted, told their exaggerating, etc. Never underestimate the ability of people to engage in denial.

In this case, isn't it more the fact that it was people accusing the church of wrong doing, so to most people, it was automatically discredited?

[loomer]

More unrecorded graves and deaths are being uncovered, this time in Manitoba.

[loomer]

Hundreds more in the Cowessess First Nation. Seven hundred. And fifty one.

[Solauren]

I hate to say it, but this might force the government to take the lead on things now. This many, his quickly? They need to take the lead, or it's going to cost them politically.

[Solauren]

Quick note: There were a total of 139 residental schools in Canada over the life of the program.
That most at one time was 80.

The possible number of total deaths might reach into 6 digits....

[loomer]

Estimates for the number of victims are now in the range of 10 to 50,000, far in excess of the conservative figure of 4,100 adopted by the TRC.