At a media event today, the English River First Nation announced the results of a two-year search using ground-penetrating radar near the former Beauval Indian Residential School site. Remains of 93 people have been identified, with 79 believed to be children and 14 to be infants.

Treaty Commissioner of Saskatchewan Mary Musqua-Culbertson spoke at the event. She asked parents to imagine what it would be like to send your four-year-old off to Kindergarten next week and not see them again until June. And then in June waiting to see your child, who never came home.

“[Parents now] get to hold their children at night, they get to kiss them, they get to hug them. Many of our people did not have that opportunity, nor did our parents feel that love,” she said.  

Residential schools are the broken Treaty promise of education. First Nations families wanted children to be educated, to be prepared for the future, but also be able to keep their culture, and language. That is not what they got.

“These are ugly truths that we have to come to grips with in this country. Whether we like it or not this is happening, these truths are being unveiled.

“Nobody believed our survivors, nobody believed our oral history. Now they do.”

Musqua-Culberston said, learning the true history of Canada is the most important.

“I cannot say this enough, but It is all our responsibility, as people who live in this country to educate ourselves, take advantage of the resources, they are everywhere now.”

Read more about the event:

'Not the final numbers': 93 possible unmarked graves discovered at former Beauval residential school

Sask. First Nation says it's found 93 potential unmarked child, infant graves