“…mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters left behind often weren’t told where their loved ones had gone, or for how long. When someone passed away during treatment, they were buried in the South. Only sometimes was it in a marked grave, and only sometimes was their family told.”

Justin Trudeau  Prime Minister of Canada – Iqaluit Nunavut March 8. 2019 in Statement of Apology on Behalf of the Government of Canada to Inuit for the Management of the Tuberculosis Epidemic from the 1940s-1960s.

 

“These were children who deserved to be happy. Most of all, they deserved to be safe. As a dad, I can’t imagine what it would feel like to have my kids taken away from me. And as prime minister, I am appalled by the shameful policy that stole Indigenous children from their communities.”

Justin Trudeau  Prime Minister of Canada – Ottawa, Ontario at a Press Conference following the discovery of the bodies of 215 Indigenous children at a site in Kamloops.

 

See a pattern here? Canada’s treatment of Indigenous and Inuit peoples is a dark stain on our history. The Nunavut Employees Union urges all Members – and all Canadians to educate themselves on the disturbing truths behind the horrors and atrocities committed under the guise of  despicable programs like Residential Schools, Tuberculosis Epidemic Management and High Arctic Relocation. Until each and every Canadian, from our Prime Minister and all politicians down to each citizen understands, acknowledges and commits to addressing how Canada treats its original and true citizens we will never be able to move forward to becoming the great Nation we aspire to be. Please visit https://www.rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca/ to start to understand why an unaddressed past will always remain a an unforgivable part of today.