It could be a decade or more before the full scope of the search for unmarked graves around former residential schools is known.
It’s been one year since the discovery of possible remains near a former school in Kamloops.
It led to several other Indigenous communities starting or resuming similar investigations around other schools.
There were 140 schools that operated in Canada at one time.
Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Marc Miller calls the work underway just the tip of the iceberg of what will likely be a lengthy process.
He says the ground searches are just one step.
“A lot of them are at a point of deciding what is that next step, and it takes a lot of consultation within the communities. You can’t just ask the RCMP to storm in knowing the painful history that they have with enforcement,” says Miller.
Federal officials gathered to outline the support provided to assist Indigenous communities with the searches and the subsequent healing.
Minister of Indigenous Services Canada, Patty Hajdu, outlined support provided in northern Ontario.
“In Northern Ontario, we’ve invested in culture-based learning for indigenous and intergenerational survivors, with a focus on reclamation and reconciliation conducted by elders,” Hajdu.
Hadju says the government remains committed to ongoing support as more remains are found and truths are uncovered.
