June 2, 2021
OTTAWA — Federal Justice Minister David Lametti says he is open to the idea of considering different legal avenues when it comes to residential schools with burial grounds — in particular the possibility of protecting these sites and criminalizing anyone who might try to damage them or hide evidence.
In an interview with The Canadian Press, Lametti says he has received a request to look at what legal levers may exist to ensure these sites are protected.
He stresses that all levels of government want to take their lead from Indigenous communities and leaders about what they would like to do with the individual school buildings, grounds and burial sites.