CEIU members stand in solidarity with Cowessess First Nation after the horrifying discovery of 751 unmarked graves from the Marieval Indian Residential School.

The grave sites are in a former cemetery from which headstones were removed by the Catholic Church, which operated the school, in the 1960s.

The residential school system was a horrific crime against Indigenous peoples. Sadly, the aftershocks of that crime are still being felt in too many communities. Discoveries like the ones in Kamloops and Cowessess are tragic and painful but are a critical step in the process of truth, reconciliation and healing.

Our country has an incredible amount of work to do to build a Canada free of racism and of colonialism.

Our union will always stand with Indigenous peoples in the hard work of reconciliation.

A 24-hour national Indian Residential School crisis line can be reached at 1-866-925-4419.