Global Courant
Ahead of the release of her interim report on progress as Canada’s special interlocutor on unmarked graves at former residential schools, Kimberly Murray says lawmakers at all levels of government should not wait for her findings to act.
She cites examples of gaps she has already identified, such as the lengthy process of obtaining documents and the various approvals required to access private land for ceremonies and searches. Murray said there is a lot governments could do now. work.
“I talk about this a little bit in the interim report, about some things like waiving fees for records for communities to access information,” Murray told CTV’s Question Period host Vassy Kapelos in an interview. “We don’t have to wait until the end of my mandate to make some changes and put things in their place.”
A series of devastating discoveries of unmarked graves at former residential schools in Canada over the past two years has revived the call to action. This prompted the federal government to appoint Murray to work with Indigenous peoples and make recommendations to strengthen federal laws and practices to protect and preserve unmarked cemeteries.
Murray was also asked to help Indigenous communities overcome regulatory and legal hurdles in cemeteries, as well as facilitate dialogue with relevant governments and institutions, including churches. Murray’s appointment also included plans to address issues surrounding the identification and protection of unmarked graves, including the repatriation of remains.
Murray will file an interim report on her progress on June 16, one year since she took on the role.
She told Kapelos that her forthcoming report will highlight additional concerns identified by survivors and communities about the barriers they face in searching for their children, from costs associated with access to documentation to the need for legislative reform. .
“It shouldn’t take 50 years to find out where your child is buried,” Murray said. “And we’re writing about a few examples in our interim report coming out.”
“It’s just appalling that families have to go through this to establish what happened to their child,” she said.
Watch the full interview with Murray in the video player above.
