'We can now speak our truth': Former residential school on Muskowekwan First Nation named national historic site
A former residential school, which is still standing on the Muskowekwan First Nation in Saskatchewan, has been named a national historic site by the federal government.
The Muscowequan Indian Residential School, located on Muskowekwan First Nation, is the last standing residential school in Saskatchewan and was one of the last residential schools to close in Canada when it shut its doors in 1997. At least 35 unmarked graves have been found on the residential school grounds since the 1990s.
The announcement was made by Jonathan Wilkinson, the federal minister responsible for Parks Canada, on Thursday. Muskowekwan First Nation worked with Parks Canada to share the stories of residential school survivors and “determine the historic values of the site.”
“Far too long, our survivors have lived through this dark history without recognition but today marks a new era of reconciliation and learning,” Muskowekwan First Nation Chief Reginald Bellerose said in a press release.
“We can now speak our truth and have a building that will tell our story from our perspective.”
Parks Canada said national historic designations mark both positive and negative aspects of Canadian history.
The government said designating residential schools as national historic sites align with Call to Action 79 of the Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which calls on the federal government to develop a “reconciliation framework for Canadian heritage and commemoration.”
--
If you are a residential school survivor in distress, or have been affected by the residential school system and need help, you can contact the 24-hour Indian Residential Schools Crisis Line at 1-866-925-4419, or the Indian Residential School Survivors Society toll free line at 1-800-721-0066.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
Competition bureau finds 'substantial' anti-competitive effects with proposed Bunge-Viterra merger
The proposed merger of agricultural giants Viterra and Bunge is raising competition concerns from the federal government.
Douglas DC-4 plane with 2 people on board crashes into river outside Fairbanks, Alaska
A Douglas C-54 Skymaster airplane crashed into the Tanana River near Fairbanks on Tuesday, Alaska State Troopers said.
BREAKING Mounties will not be charged in shooting death of B.C. Indigenous man
Three Mounties in British Columbia will not face charges in the killing of a 38-year-old Indigenous man on Vancouver Island in 2021.
Canada's favourite sport to watch is hockey, survey shows
The 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs have already delivered a fever level of fan excitement in Canada.
'It's just so hard to let it go': Umar Zameer still haunted by death of Toronto police officer
“It's just so hard to let it go. I mean, everyone is telling me, ‘you have to move on,’ but I know someone is not here [anymore]. So I don't know how I will move on." That’s what Umar Zameer, the man recently acquitted in the death of a Toronto police officer, told CTV News Toronto in a sit-down interview on Tuesday.