Hundreds gathered Saturday for a march in Ottawa to demand a special investigator look into what the NDP calls crimes against Indigenous people at Canada’s residential schools.
Timmins-James Bay MP Charlie Angus notes almost 20,000 Canadians have emailed the federal justice minister to take action, but so far, the Liberal government has refused.
Angus says what happened at those schools was criminal, not a tragedy.
“When you have mass graves across this country at every residential school, you are not talking about a tragedy. You are talking about a policy to destroy a people, and that meets the test of a crime against humanity, and it needs to be investigated,” Angus told the crowd.
Angus is also looking for records that allowed priests to flee to other countries to be publicly released.
“Turn over those documents, expose these men. That’s why we’re here,” he said.
There is a better Canada coming.
We can be part of it.
It is about all of us doing our part to break the abuse and the criminality of colonialism and letting this young generation step forward.
I am honoured to be part of this fight for justice. pic.twitter.com/xZ0RxCpsoh— Charlie Angus NDP (@CharlieAngusNDP) August 1, 2021
A National Indian Residential School Crisis Line has been set up to provide support for former residential school students. The toll-free line can be accessed 24 hours a day, seven days a week by calling 1-866-925-4419.
