Canadian Politics Today

so yes, none of this is 'new' knowledge in terms of the existence of unmarked/undocumented {mass} graves in proximity to residential schools. Of course what is of compelling... of mind-numbing recognition is the scope - the actual number of children that died/were buried at the Kamloops residential school over its ~80 year operation.

to be expected, the 'usual suspects' are quick to attempt to down-play this latest revelation - leaving the waldo to question when down-playing becomes outright denial. Some of the more profiled responses came from Chris Champion, one of the principals of the Dorchester Review. Champion is described as a close confidant to Alberta Premier Jason Kenney, having started his relationship as a staffer to Kenney when he was a federal MP. Considerable controversy is associated with Champion over his past writings and in his role as an adviser/consultant on the development of a new Alberta school curriculum:

In an article published last year on the proposed new curriculum, Champion calls the inclusion of First Nations perspectives in school lessons a fad.

Champion writes that the KAIROS blanket exercise — an activity used to teach participants about the deleterious effects on Indigenous people when Europeans settled in North America — brainwashes children.

"The scientific tradition is that truth is discovered and authenticated," Champion writes in the spring/summer issue of the Dorchester Review, where he is an editor. "By contrast, the 'truth' of Indigenous elders sometimes contradicts the evidence."

Champion also came under fire last week for publishing, and recently republishing, a Dorchester Review opinion piece that casts doubt on the suffering of residential school survivors.

In the 1990s, Champion also wrote for conservative magazine Alberta Report. He penned an article that suggested victims of school sex abuse scandals and forced sterilization exploited their suffering for financial gain.

many of Champion's recent days tweets has him repeatedly including a link to the following (original sourced CBC) article: Why Did Over 4,000 Children Die At First Nation’s Residential Schools? One example of same showing the temerity of Champion in replying to the Minister of Indigenous Services, Marc Miller:

Churches should be paying their own reparations for the kidnapping, **** and massacre of indigenous children. 

It’s likely too late now, but there should be subpoenas served and everything any church knew about what was going on should be exposed, and if the statute of limitations hasn’t run out, anyone still alive should be prosecuted.

If the organization as a whole was responsible for covering any of it up, that church organization shouldn’t be allowed to operate in Canada. 

The tepid response from government when it comes to the churches is disgusting.

But you said they had good intentions!

I'm sure they did.  I didn't say those who ran it did.

oh my! Conservatives said what?

There were also nine Liberal prime ministers during the residential school era. I guess what they did or didn't say isn't relevant.

This was a national failure waldo, not a political one.

yabut, the waldo just referenced what they (Conservatives), as you say, 'did say' - and you don't get to negate that by proclaiming referencing those comments is "off-base"... even as you get your presumed licks in with your first sentences. Now if you have relevant statements from those, as you say, nine Liberal PMs, have at er, hey!

Talk is cheap waldo, it doesn't matter what those Liberals said or did not say. they ignored the issue as well.

in your zeal deflect from those Conservative leaders/MP comments; to 'both-sides' this concern, perhaps a timeline... a starting reference point... is needed. When did the 'issue you say was ignored', become an issue as recognized by both politicians and citizens for the problems/failure that was the residential school system?

Liberals have certainly ignored the problem.

However, it seems the Conservatives have actively attempted to hide the issue.  In 2009 they declined funding so that bodies could be looked for. 

https://globalnews.ca/news/7907424/trc-mass-graves-residential-school-federal-funding/amp/

Neither did the Liberals. The study that found the graves was funded by a provincial grant.

These sites need to be treated as murder investigations.

Any churches, and the people working in them, that withheld any relevant documents should be criminally charged.

Don't know about murder, that would be hard to prove but definitely a homicide investigation.