Witnesses Describe Obstacles to Ground Searches
On the third day of the Permanent Peoples' Tribunal held in Montreal, survivors, community leaders, and researchers delivered sobering testimony about the mounting challenges facing Indigenous communities as they attempt to locate and identify unmarked burials at the sites of former residential schools across Canada.
Witnesses described a process mired in underfunding, jurisdictional confusion, and a lack of coordinated federal support — obstacles that many say are compounding the ongoing trauma of families still searching for answers about missing children.
The Scale of the Task
Since the Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation announced the detection of potential burial sites at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School in May 2021, dozens of communities across the country have begun ground-penetrating radar surveys and other investigative searches. The work has revealed hundreds of anomalies at numerous sites.
But conducting these searches is neither simple nor cheap. Ground-penetrating radar surveys, archival research, forensic analysis, and community engagement all require sustained resources — resources that witnesses say have not been reliably provided by the federal government.
Funding Gaps and Bureaucratic Barriers
Testimony at the tribunal painted a picture of communities navigating a patchwork of funding streams, each with its own eligibility criteria and application timelines. Some communities described waiting months for approvals while the search season passed. Others said they received one-time grants insufficient to complete multi-year investigations.
Witnesses also raised concerns about the conditions attached to federal funding — including requirements to share findings with government bodies before communities felt ready, and reporting burdens that strained already limited administrative capacity.
"The burden should not be on the communities to prove that this happened," one witness said. "The burden should be on Canada to help us find our children."
Calls for Systemic Change
Speakers at the tribunal called for long-term, community-controlled funding that does not expire between fiscal years, as well as dedicated federal staff to help communities navigate the process. Several witnesses cited Call to Action 76 from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which calls on the federal government to fund the identification of residential school burial sites.
The Permanent Peoples' Tribunal, an independent international body, is examining Canada's compliance with its obligations to Indigenous peoples. Its findings, while not legally binding, carry moral and political weight and are expected to inform advocacy efforts at the national and international level.
An Ongoing National Reckoning
Canada has more than 130 former residential school sites. The federal government has committed hundreds of millions of dollars to community-led search efforts since 2021, but advocates argue the funding model remains fragmented and insufficient relative to the scope of the work.
For many families, the searches are not an abstract exercise in historical documentation — they are the only path to bringing their relatives home. Witnesses at the tribunal made clear that without stable, long-term funding and genuine partnership with the federal government, that path will remain unnecessarily difficult.
The tribunal continues its sessions in Montreal this week.
Source: CBC News
