Les Femmes Michif Otipemisiwak Responds to the Special Interlocutor's Final Report on Residential School Gravesites

GATINEAU, QC, Oct. 30, 2024 /CNW/ - On Tuesday, Canada's Independent Special Interlocutor on residential school gravesites, Kimberly Murray, reported her findings after a two-year investigation into unmarked burials.

Murray emphasized the responsibility of the federal government to provide the tools and support needed to continue this work, stating that the federal government has a legal obligation to the victims and survivors of Indian Residential Schools.

Les Femmes Michif Otipemisiwak (LFMO) supports Murray's call for the implementation of an Indigenous-led Reparations Framework for Missing and Disappeared Children and Unmarked Burials, including the formation of a Commission of Investigations into the Enforced Disappearance of Indigenous Children in Canada and the creation of a 20-year probe. We believe an Indigenous-led framework is necessary to ensure that engagement and consultation surrounding the continued work of investigating unmarked burials includes the perspectives of  those most affected by this ongoing crisis.

"This report confirms that the work surrounding unmarked burials is far from over. Families and loved-ones of missing children deserve the opportunity to heal, which can't happen until all our children are brought home," says Melanie Omeniho, LFMO President.

The over 4,000 documented cases of First Nation, Métis, and Inuit children who died or went missing while attending Indian Residential Schools have caused unimaginable suffering for countless Indigenous families, individuals, and communities. LFMO is committed to uplifting the many members of our community who have been impacted by this tragedy. We offer prayers of support to all survivors and their loved-ones during this time, and to the many families still waiting for answers.

LFMO speaks as the national and international voice for the Women of the Métis Nation across the Métis Motherland, spanning Ontario westward to British Columbia. Les Femmes Michif Otipemisiwak aims to consult, promote, and represent the personal, spiritual, social, cultural, political, and economic interests and aspirations of women and gender diverse people.

SOURCE Les Femmes Michif Otipemisiwak

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