Montreal hosted the annual National Gathering on Unmarked Burials: Supporting the Search and Recovery of Missing Children. The three day event was hosted by the Office of the Independent Special Interlocutor – a government entity responsible for meeting with Indigenous communities to establish a report at the end of their mandate to address unmarked graves and burial sites associated with Indian residential schools. 

Local 514 was invited to attend the leadership panel where Chiefs of three different Indigenous communities across Canada were invited to detail on how they are conducting their searches of unmarked graves. The panel was moderated by Marie Wilson, the former commissioner of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. 

The panel invited Chief Councillor Ken Watts of Tseshaht First Nation in British Columbia. Grand Chief Garrison Settee of the Pimicikamak Cree Nation in Northern Manitoba and Grand Chief Mandy Gull-Masty of the Cree nation of Eeyou Istchee in Quebec.

Chief Watts called the Residential schools “the school we never asked for, didn’t consent to, but have to live with as an open wound in our backyard."

All three Chiefs said lack of funding to support these searches is an issue, with Chief Gull-Masty mentioning that a "Common story we hear across the Country is the lack of funding." She said that a key component that’s needed to continue the search for unmarked graves is government funding. 

"I'm seeing colleagues giving presentations seeking donations, why is [this] commitment not made by the government?," said Chief Gull-Masty.

Chief Watts said we're "getting the answers of survivors and those who didn’t make it home," citing that many survivors were watching this panel live online.