The Government of Canada is working with Survivors, Indigenous leaders and affected families and communities to address historical wrongs and the lasting physical, emotional, mental and spiritual harms related to the legacy of residential schools.
The Manitoba Métis Federation (MMF) says that part of this work includes efforts being made to locate and commemorate missing children who attended residential schools, as well as responding to Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action 72 to 76.
MMF President David Chartrand and Marc Miller, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, announced that $1,417,835 for the fiscal years 2022-2024 will be invested to support the MMF's initiative, titled "Pekeywaytahihnan nutr zanfaan leur zisprii" (We are bringing our children's spirit home).
"The Manitoba Métis Federation is leading incredibly important work for Métis Survivors of residential schools in Manitoba. We understand that Survivors know best how to move forward, which is why the Pekeywaytahihnan nutr zanfaan leur zisprii initiative is so important. Our government will continue to work with the MMF on these shared priorities as they support their citizens and advance healing," Miller adds.
According to the MMF, this initiative is the first phase of the MMF's plans and will inform future work, which includes the formation of a Survivors Committee to guide future initiatives, knowledge gathering, research of archival records, community engagement, and commemoration plans.
They say this community-led process will ensure the MMF can undertake this work in their own way, at their own pace, and is part of the government-to-government framework between the MMF and the federal government.
They also say that addressing the harms suffered by Survivors, their families and communities is at the heart of reconciliation and that it's essential to renewing and building relationships with Indigenous Peoples, governments, and all Canadians.
