A coalition of residential school survivors and their supporters wants senators to know the personal impact that Sen. Lynn Beyak's public praise for the schools has had on their lives. "The sludge seeped out to communities, schools, hospitals, places of work and was especially felt by residential school survivors and their families." Beyak also publicly stated that residential schools were "well-intentioned", despite the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's conclusion that the residential school policy was cultural genocide. "In this case we certainly have heard negative stories, and we've experienced negative situations because of what was said about residential schools, because of what was said about Indigenous people." Beyak provides further evidence of "her efforts to educate herself, especially at the regional level, with input from Indigenous people, particularly from survivors of the residential school system."

Source: CBC News September 03, 2020 10:52 UTC