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THE STATE OF OUR “CARING”: Residential School Graves and The Public Interest by Bill Lee

 For Canada, the issue of the residential school horror is part of one of the two equally important/vital/fundamental issues facing this country. The one, is the existential crisis of climate change of course. The other, of which the issue of the unmarked graves of innocent children forms an important part, is ending Canada’s colonial relationship with Indigenous people. This is issue is being foregrounded1 and has been in the news for some months.


There is increasing concern, even fear, among a good deal of the caring public that the issue of the many unmarked graves of residential school students is falling out of the attention of the general public. The fear is that what occurred to those interred, thyoung victims of Canadian colonialism, is that it is in danger of going under the rug. The first is dismaying but to a certain extent understandable. Our contemporary society has a notoriously short attention span, the news cycle is a short one, and there is an array of genuinely important issues facing us, the climate crisis, recovery from the pandemic, affordable housing are only a few. But I'm troubled by a second concern. It is that I believe that we are seeing unscrupulous individuals attempting to deny its scope and/or its profound seriousness. For example, I see any number of letters to the editor and Facebook posts suggesting that while there “might have been” bad things perpetrated by “bad apples” (like the ones that we hear about in the police forces perhaps?) the intentions were always good, both on the part of the government as well as on the various gangs who actually administered and staffed these houses of horror. One fellow insisted on quoting Thompson Highway, the noted Cree author and playwright that he had a positive experience and “learned to play the piano”. While this is pure baloney and bolox, we know that a lie big enough and said sufficiently often can inflict significant damage2. We need look no further than the crazy and violent goings on south of the border, fired by the mendacity of Trump and the wild conspiracies of the QAnon movement. Conservative leader, O’Toole, has called for an end to flying our Canadian flag at Half Mast which has been in place in recognition of the continuing (not a few one offs) discoveries of the unmarked graves on old residential school sites. He says he is concerned that to a flag at half mast makes it impossible to have pride in our country. My view, on the other, is that we can actually be proud that we are finally facing up to this colonial outrage. Our pride in this country must never be tied to a false historical narrative. The growth and pride will, must, depend on the degree to which we make our country one of honesty, compassion and justice. These three things appear to be values that O’Toole and his Conservative gang3 have nether interest or commitment.

Let’s be clear on this, once and for all. There can be no more bull excrement and stupid mendacity about good intentions, or “there were some good places”, or there were some good teachers”, or using a quote from some guy, like Thompson Highway (fine playwright though he may be) who says he had a good experience. To the extent that they exist, they are rare exceptions to the rule of the overwhelming factual evidence, RESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS were G-E-N-O-C-I-D-E in conception, intent and implementation. If we can face up to this as part of our unhappy colonial history, and the contemporary colonial to which it heir, and make the genuine apologies and reparations that are required, we will be on a road to be proud of indeed.

But we have to keep up the work. And until it is complete, until we have a good reason for raising it, let us keep our flag at half mast.

Resources:
Lee B. (Compiled) (2021) “215: Nine Indigenous Voices”. Critical Perspectives and Reflections. June 21.
Walsh, M. Kirku, K., Stone, L. (20211). “Flags on federal buildings, at half-mast since spring, should be raised: O’Toole”. The Gloobe and Mail. HTTPS://WWW.THEGLOBEANDMAIL.COM/POLITICS/ARTICLE-FLAGS-ON-FEDERAL-BUILDINGS-AT-HALF-MAST-SINCE-SPRING-SHOULD-BE-RAISED/. AUG. 26

1 See for example Lee (2021). “Nine Indigenous Voices” 2 As well of course, these lies about the evil of the residential schools bring great needless sorrow and frustration and trigger trauma reactions on the part of survivors and their relatives. 3 Let us keep in mind that it is only recently that we have seen the end of the public career of that vile residential school denier, former Conservative Senator Lyn Beyak. Her party appears to have a particularly difficult time facing up to the genocidal nature of the residential school “project”.

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