Jul 22, 2013 - BREAKING: Canadians call on Feds to #HonourTheApology by Andrea Landry

For Immediate Release

Canadians from many cultural communities call on Feds to #HonourTheApology to Residential School Survivors

Unity across faiths and backgrounds in response to recently revealed “nutritional experiments” on Indigenous people

WINNIPEG, MB (07/22/2013) – At noon on Thursday, July 25 at venues across the country, Canadians, newcomers, First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples from all walks of life and religious denominations will reflect upon the impacts of Canada’s residential schools in a national moment of silence. In response to University of Guelph historian Ian Mosby published research that First Nations communities – and specifically thousands of children in residential schools – were unknowing subjects in biomedical experiments in malnourishment and hunger by federal government officials between 1942-52, these Canadians will pray for and commemorate those who were experimented on. They will also call on the federal government to honour its 2008 apology to the survivors of Residential Schools by immediately releasing all relevant documents to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

“Canadians from many backgrounds have been shocked and hurt by these recent revelations and this is an opportunity to talk, reflect, and do something about it,” says co-organizer Wab Kinew. “We’ve put out a call for unity and leaders from the Islamic, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Multi-denominational, Japanese communities have responded and will join us. We hope many others will come over their lunch hour as well. All are welcome.”

A Spreecast teach-in will be held online on Monday July 22 at 8pm CST for Canadians who want to learn more about the “nutritional experiments” and the documents being sought by the TRC. It will feature Dr. Ian Mosby, Dr. Niigaanwewidam Sinclair and Dr. Leanne Simpson (who wrote a piece about the event in Briarpatch Magazine).

Events:

Winnipeg – Oodena Circle, The Forks
Vancouver – Gastown
Ottawa – Victoria Island
Saskatoon – Vimy Memorial Bandshell
Edmonton – Churchill Square
Thunder Bay – Vickers Park
Sudbury – Tom Davies Square

About the Apology:

On June 11, 2008, the Prime Minister of Canada offered an apology to First Nations, Métis, and Inuit survivors of the residential school system. Although under a court order, the federal government has been withholding millions of documents from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). These documents contain the movement/disappearance of children, sickness or diseases and the treatment students endured. Honouring the apology means releasing the documents so the TRC can fulfill its mandate and allow all Canadians to learn the truth about this painful era and move together toward reconciliation.

Media Contacts:

Niigaanwewidam Sinclair, Co-organizer (Manitoba), 204-999-5192, niigaanwewidam@umanitoba.ca
Andrea Landry, Co-organizer (Ontario), 226-787-7700, Andrea_landry@hotmail.ca
Jodi Stonehouse, Co-organizer (Alberta), 780-902-0049, jodi@ualberta.ca