Rainbow Faith and Freedom shares in the grief, shock and anger of all Canadians following the recent discovery by the Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation of the remains of 215 Indigenous children on the grounds of a former residential school.

This unthinkable loss is a stark reminder of a dark and shameful period in Canada’s not-so-distant history. In the name of religion and education, innocent children by the thousands were removed from their homes, families and cultures to endure pain, torture and, tragically, death.

We stand with our First Nations friends, partners, supporters and allies during this difficult time. We believe firmly that they must be allowed and encouraged to share their stories, their personal, cultural and family histories and, most importantly, their vision for how to move forward in reconciliation.

We must commit to learning from the cruelties of the past, particularly those fueled by colonialism and racism, to ensure that our future will not see such atrocities ignored or repeated.