This country is in mourning
and as people grieve the 215 Indigenous children
whose remains have been uncovered
in Kamloops, B.C.
an outpouring of support can be seen
and felt across the country.
So along with all that grief
are growing calls for accountability
from the federal government
and the Catholic Church.
Cindy Blackstock is the executive director
at the First Nations Child & Family Caring Society
She has been advocating
for the rights of Indigenous children for decades.
So Cindy, thank you for joining us and the question
that's rattling around for me right now
crucially is how are you?
Well, I I'm feeling
really sad for these children,
but I'm also feeling more determined
to end the racial discrimination
that the federal government is currently
perpetrated against 165,000 kids.
That that's the least
I can do to try and honor
the souls of those 215 sacred little kids.
So that's that's an interesting answer
because it speaks to what
I think we've been hearing
for the last few days
is that people make reference.
To what happened in Kamloops
as of what happened, past tense,
but I hear you saying
let's not talk about this in the past.
Let's talk about this in the present.
That's right,
the opportunity is right now.
We've got legal orders Adrienne
where the federal government's been found
to be racially discriminating against First Nations kids
by providing them with lesser services
because their First Nations
That order came in 2016.
The federal government said
they would welcome the decision
and they would implement it.
They didn't do it.
We're now at 19 non-compliance orders,
an procedure orders and we're counting.
In your conversations
that you've had with survivors.
Over the past few days in particular
and to the extent
to which you're comfortable talking about this
what questions do they have
about what we are seeing right now
with regards to Kamloops?
Is will people keep their attention
enough -- long enough?
To be able to demand the change that needs to be done
to end the end to end the injustices
people have seen this groundswell of emotion before
and then public attention dies
and then the government keeps on
with this wrongdoing
and then another crisis happens.
This is our opportunity to break that cycle
and make sure that the federal government
ends its discrimination.
And I know earlier today there were calls for
again, an apology from the Pope
and some people here that in dismiss it
but I'm wondering what the meaning of that would be
should it happen?
Well, I think it really is
that statement of accountability
and the Vatican could do more than that.
The Vatican can return
the records from Rome back to Canada
on residential schools
so they can be examined.
And the other thing
that the Catholic Church can do
is make reparations for these children.
So there's three things
that they can do right now.
And that would have
that would have real meaning you think?
That would have meaning
because the in those records
they may be able to identify
some of these children
where they were buried
and we'd also get a better sense
of what happened to the people
who are the perpetrators
of this wrong doing?
Were they dealt with in a Catholic Church
or is it like other
Catholic Church scandals?
Where these people are just passed on
to another parish.
And in terms of the Government of Canada
accountability can take many forms.
But but crucially, what is the number one thing
that you want to see happen
from this government immediately?
Immediately, the federal government needs to stop
litigating against First Nations kids.
Abide by the legal orders to stop the racial discrimination
and stop fighting residential school survivors in court.
All right, Cindy Blackstock as always.
Thank you very much.
Thank you Adrienne.