Canada's British Columbia houses 160 unmarked graves, PM Trudeau calls it 'heartbreaking'

The Penelakut Tribe has said that it has found more than 160 "undocumented and unmarked" graves on the site of the former Kuper Island Indian Industrial School. This is the fourth discovery in recent months. In a recent statement circulated on social media, the Penelakut Tribe said that the graves were found in their territory. The unmarked graves were found on the grounds of a former Indigenous residential school in the southern Gulf Islands off the British Columbia coast.

More graves discovered in Canada

In a statement to “neighbouring tribes and organizations” on July 8, the tribe’s Chief Joan Brown said, "We are inviting you to join us in our work to raise awareness of the Kuper Island Industrial School, and confirmation of the 160+ undocumented and unmarked graves in our grounds and foreshore". In the letter, the tribe stated that “We understand that many of our brothers and sisters from our neighboring communities attended the Kuper Island Industrial School". In the letter, they said that they recognize the grief that many of them did not return home.

Steve Sxwithul'txw, a member of the Penelakut Tribe, was forced to attend the facility on Kuper Island in the 1970s told CBC News that the work was carried out to find if the graves contained the buried remains of residential students. Steve added that his relatives have died there and he would like to know about the burial details. The Kuper Island Indian Industrial School was run by the Roman Catholic Church from 1890 until 1969 when the government took over, according to AP. The school was closed in 1975 and the building was demolished in the 1980s.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his "heart breaks" for the Penelakut Tribe and indigenous people across the country. The Canadian PM said that the discovery of the graves is "horrific and heartbreaking" and they are with the members of Penelakut Tribe. He added, "We cannot bring back those who were taken, but we can - and we will - continue to tell the truth. And we will work in true partnership with you to fight discrimination and systemic racism, and advance healing and reconciliation, with real and concrete actions."

"I recognize these findings only deepen the pain that families, survivors and all Indigenous peoples and communities are already feeling as they reaffirm truth that they have long known," Trudeau said in a news conference.

The latest discovery of unmarked graves comes shortly after three other gravesites were discovered across Canada. In May 2021, the human remains of about 215 indigenous children were found on the site of British Columbia's former Kamloops Indian Residential School. It was followed by 715 unmarked graves in a former Marieval residential school Indigenous children and 182 graves were discovered near a former Catholic Church-run residential school in Cranbrook. 

IMAGE: AP

Inputs from AP