'Horrible things happening there,' Shubenacadie residential school survivor recalls
People at Sipekne'katik First Nation say education is the key, but they also want to see more than apologies from the governments.
The recent headlines don’t surprise Becky Julian. When she heard the remains of 215 children were found at a residential school in Kamloops, B.C., she wasn’t shocked.
"You’ve heard that all your life about horrible things happening there," said Julian, who is a residential school survivor.
She’s lived them. Between the ages of four and nine years old, she went to Shubenacadie Indian Residential School. She didn’t go back because she hid from the government agents.
"By the time I was nine years old, I believed I was a bad kid because every time the kids were lined up for a strapping, I was one of them," Julian said.
In light of the unmarked burial site found in British Columbia, there’s a country-wide petition calling for a national day of mourning.
Pam Glode Desrochers of the Mi’kmaw Native Friendship Centre thinks that might be an easy way out.
"I think the commitment to the work has to happen first," Glode Desrochers said. "And then you let the communities decide what that should look like -- and not just a date on the calendar. It needs to be something concrete."
Julian doesn’t want that either — nor does she want to hear any more apologies.
"Apologies are a little late," Julian said. "They have to do something."
Many believe the priority should be to search all residential school sites for graves.
Parks Canada has named Shubenacadie’s residential school a national historic site.
A factory stands in its place, but Julian’s granddaughter wants a memorial built.
"A free and open space that’s not private territory where Indigenous people can come and lay flowers, come and do a gathering on," says Ashley Julian-Rikihana.
She’s doing her PhD in Indigenous studies and believes education is also crucial for reconciliation.
"We need to be more conscious and aware because it’s our generation, it’s my parents generation, your generation that hasn’t had the opportunity and exposure to indigenous culture and language," said Julian-Rikihana.
In Shubenacadie, ground-penetrating radar has been used to explore part of the site where the residential school once stood and nothing was found, but the community says there’s still more ground to cover.
Julian says she’s not sure anything will be found, but it’s important to do a thorough search.
The federal government has set up a crisis line. The phone number for the national Indian Residential School Crisis Line is 1-866-925-4419.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.