Iqaluit National Gathering Summary Report
Press Release
It is my ongoing honour to be the Independent Special Interlocutor for Missing Children and Unmarked Graves and Burial Sites associated with Residential Schools.
As the Independent Special Interlocutor, I continue to prioritize hearing from Survivors, their families, and Indigenous communities searching for the children that were never returned home.
From January 30 – February 1, 2024, Survivors, Indigenous community members, and leadership gathered in Iqaluit, in Inuit Nunangat – “the place where Inuit live” – to hold the sixth National Gathering on Missing Children and Unmarked Burials. It was important for this Gathering to be held in the Eastern Arctic, to hear the voices of, and to learn from, the Inuit of Nunavut and other Indigenous Peoples across the region.
The experience of colonialism was different in Nunavut. It is important to consider not only the Residential Schools, but the Northern Mission Schools, Day Schools, and Federal Hostels, and the many other institutions that Inuit, Northern First Nations and Métis children were taken to, including hospitals and tuberculosis (TB) sanatoria.
My Mandate is to identify existing legal and structural barriers and recommend a new federal framework to “identify, protect, and preserve unmarked burial sites”. This description, however, does not adequately portray the significance of the Sacred work that I have the privilege to support as Survivors and communities lead the way to find the missing children and unmarked burials. I continue to learn from Survivors, Indigenous families, and communities, and it is apparent that our first duty is to the Spirits of the children who were never returned home. This is our Sacred responsibility.
This work to find and recover the children, was started by Survivors. Despite the harms that they experienced, Survivors have led us with courage, determination, and strength. For far too long, their truths were not heard by Canada, but because of their persistence and bravery, Survivors have raised the country’s awareness of the atrocities that were perpetrated against them, their families, and their communities. This has brought us to a place where Canada, as a country, can no longer ignore the truth.
This sixth National Gathering provided a very important opportunity to reaffirm our unwavering commitment to the Sacred work of searching for the missing children and unmarked burials in a way that listens to the experiences and truths of Survivors, and that is focused on the unique perspectives of Northern Indigenous people. Our time together in Iqaluit was an opportunity to consider the similarities and differences that participants have experienced, and are experiencing, as they continue their search and recovery efforts.
This Gathering was a chance to explore diverse approaches, discuss common challenges, and continue to amplify the voices that Canada has yet to fully hear and listen to. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to come to the North to hear the array of perspectives from the territory. The contributions received will shape and inform the recommendations contained in my Final Report. I extend my deepest appreciation to all the presenters and participants at this Northern Gathering for the contributions that they have made, and are making, to this Sacred work.
ILR6
