National Indian Youth Council

We fact-checked residential school denialists and debunked their 'mass grave hoax' theory

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Tuesday, October 17, 2023
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Recently a politician from a village in Prince Edward Island displayed an offensive sign on his property in which he proclaimed there is a “mass grave hoax” regarding the former Indian Residential Schools in Canada.

Key Points: 
  • Recently a politician from a village in Prince Edward Island displayed an offensive sign on his property in which he proclaimed there is a “mass grave hoax” regarding the former Indian Residential Schools in Canada.
  • Although many have called for him to resign, he is just one of many people who subscribe to this false theory.
  • A hoax is an act intended to trick people into believing something that isn’t true.

There is no media conspiracy

    • As two settler academic researchers, we decided to investigate the claims of a media conspiracy and fact-check them against evidence.
    • To find out, we analyzed 386 news articles across five Canadian media outlets (CBC, National Post, the Globe and Mail, Toronto Star and The Canadian Press) released between May 27 and Oct. 15, 2021.

‘Preliminary findings’ of ‘unmarked burials’

    • A National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation Memorial Register has to date confirmed the deaths of more than 4,000 Indigenous children associated with residential schools.
    • But the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) noted its register of missing children was incomplete, partly due to a large volume of yet-to-be-examined and destroyed records.

Countering harmful misinformation

    • In the two years since, a number of commentators, priests and politicians, including the P.E.I councillor with his sign, have downplayed the harms of residential schooling — or questioned the validity, gravity and significance of the the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation’s announcement.
    • We hope that our research can contribute to this work and that our report helps to debunk the “mass grave hoax” narrative specifically.

Cherry-picked ‘evidence’

    • Myths, however, are not pure fiction; they often contain a kernel of truth that is exaggerated or misrepresented.
    • This selective representation of evidence is commonly referred to as cherry-picking, and it’s easy to see how those spreading the “mass grave hoax” narrative rely on cherry-picked evidence.
    • By September, denialists were misrepresenting the extent of media errors to push the conspiratorial “mass grave hoax” narrative online.
    • And we hope our report sparks a national conversation about how important language is when covering this issue.

Challenging Residential School denialism

    • According to Daniel Heath Justice and Sean Carleton (one of the authors of this story), residential school denialism is not the denial of the residential school system’s existence.
    • Read more:
      Truth before reconciliation: 8 ways to identify and confront Residential School denialism

      Residential school denialism, like climate change denialism or science denialism, cherry-picks evidence to fit a conspiratorial counter-narrative.

Truth before reconciliation

    • This is the strategy of disempowering and discrediting residential school denialism advocated by former TRC Chair Murray Sinclair.
    • We hope others will join us in this type of research to help Canadians learn how to identify and confront residential school denialism and support meaningful reconciliation.
    • As the Truth and Reconciliation Commission said in its final report, without truth there can be no genuine reconciliation.

Canada supports Saskatoon Tribal Council plans to launch education and awareness activities related to the legacy of residential schools

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, September 29, 2022
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The National Indian Residential School Crisis Line offers emotional support and crisis referral services for residential school Survivors and their families.

Key Points: 
  • The National Indian Residential School Crisis Line offers emotional support and crisis referral services for residential school Survivors and their families.
  • Today, Tribal Chief Mark Arcand, of Saskatoon Tribal Council, and the Honourable Marc Miller, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations announced funding of $368,079 in 2021-22 to support education and awareness activities related to the legacy of residential schools in Saskatoon.
  • The Saskatoon Tribal Council (STC), in partnership with the City of Saskatoon, will continue to host education and awareness activities on topics including reconciliation, and the legacy or residential schools.
  • Saskatoon Tribal Council (STC) improves the quality of life of First Nations through mutually beneficial partnerships with community organizations and industry.

Canada supports Dakota Tipi First Nation in undertaking research and commemoration activities around five former residential school sites

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, January 18, 2022
First Nations nutrition experiments, Archive, Research, National Indian Youth Council, News, Portage, Government, Library and Archives Canada, Survivor, Portage la Prairie, National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, Indigenous self-government in Canada, Truth commission, Population, Fort Alexander, Minister of Crown–Indigenous Relations, Indigenous peoples, History, Time, Community Support Group, Hope, Reconciliation, Residential school, First Nations, Child, Investment, Medicine, Oil, Environmental remediation, Crown

A National Indian Residential School Crisis Line is available to provide support to former residential school students who can access emotional and crisis referral services by calling the 24-Hour National Crisis Line at 1-866-925-4419.

Key Points: 
  • A National Indian Residential School Crisis Line is available to provide support to former residential school students who can access emotional and crisis referral services by calling the 24-Hour National Crisis Line at 1-866-925-4419.
  • The locating of unmarked graves at former residential school sites across Canada is a tragic reminder of the abuse Indigenous children suffered in these institutions.
  • Dakota Tipi First Nation will also undertake knowledge gathering and with direction from Elders, Survivors and their families explore commemoration and memorialization activities.This will be a community-led process to ensure Dakota Tipi First Nation can undertake this work in a way that respects their Dakota protocols.
  • The Government of Canada and all Canadians support the Residential School Survivor Project, which will be guided by a Survivor-led steering committee - to contribute to the healing of Survivors and community of Dakota Tipi First Nation."

Coalition of Leading Health Professionals and Advocates Calls on Congress to Act Now to Strengthen Medicare by Adding Dental Coverage

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, August 5, 2021
Association, Research, Dental, Committee on Finance, Senate, Federation, Policy, Transportation Equity Network, United States House Committee on Energy and Commerce, National Indian Youth Council, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Families USA, Dean, Congress, Health, Patient, Disability, COVID-19, Interstate Commerce Committee, National Dental Association, Pneumonia, Santa Fe Group, GLOBE, Color, Cancer, Leadership, Congressional Budget Office, Ways and means committee, Dentistry, FACS, Risk, Democrat, Elijah Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act, Negotiation, Diabetes, Education, American Dental Education Association, Dental care, National Rural Health Association, State, Letter, Cardiovascular disease, Health insurance

Medicare does not currently include coverage for dental health services as a standard benefit.

Key Points: 
  • Medicare does not currently include coverage for dental health services as a standard benefit.
  • Of the 60 million older adults and individuals with disabilities who receive Medicare benefits, 67% of them37 milliondo not have dental coverage.
  • Poor oral health is linked with cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, and pneumonia, the risk of which increases among older adults.
  • CareQuest Institute for Oral Health is a national nonprofit championing a more equitable future where every person can reach their full potential through excellent health.