Indigenous tribunal weighs ‘historic declaration’ of genocide in Canadian residential schools – CityNews Montreal

May 29, 2026

The Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal on Missing Children and Unmarked Graves in Canada will come to an end Friday afternoon in Montreal with a preliminary declaration on whether Canada had committed genocide against Indigenous peoples in residential schools and other institutions.

The decision is being called a “historic declaration.” It concluded a week-long deliberation, announcing a preliminary statement today. The final decision will be delivered in a report due September 30th, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

“If we are successful, the declaration would actually list all of the crimes that are alleged affirmatively that Canada has indeed committed these crimes and the declaration would note that the state has international obligations,” said Christa Big Canoe, lead prosecutor and legal director at Aboriginal Legal Services.

Read More: https://montreal.citynews.ca/2026/05/29/indigenous-tribunal-declares-genocide-residential-schools/