The Department of Gender Studies stands in sorrow with our Indigenous neighbors, students, staff and colleagues in these terrible days. We send our sympathy to the families of the 751 Indigenous children and adults whose remains have been revealed on the grounds of the ;Marieval Indian Residential “School” in SK, barely one month since the discovery of the remains of the children at Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation.
Following the words from Cindy Blackstock, we call upon the government to stop fighting First Nations kids and residential school survivors in court and to stop blocking the creation of statistical reports on residential school abuse claims and the direct transfer of other records to the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation. The genocidal violence of the Canadian state and the institution of the Catholic church will not end while these basic principles go unheeded.
Those seeking support may wish to contact the Office of Indigenous Initiatives and Reconciliation or Four Directions, both on campus, as well as:
Support for Residential School Survivors and their Families:
24-hour crisis line for residential school survivors: 1 (866) 925-4419
First Nations & Inuit Hope for Wellness, 24/7 Help Line: 1 (855) 242-3310
The Indian Residential School Survivors Society toll free line: 1 (800) 721-0066
- Alberta: 1 (888) 495-6588
- British Columbia: 1 (877) 477-0775
- Territories: 1 (800) 464-8106
- Manitoba: 1 (866) 818-3505
- Saskatchewan: 1 (866) 250-1529
- Ontario: 1 (888) 301-6426
- Quebec: 1 (877) 583-2965
- Atlantic Provinces: 1 (866) 414-8111
Crisis Services Canada: 1-833-456-4566 or text 45645
Kids Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868
Native Youth Crisis Hotline: 1-877-209-1266