EDITORIAL: A horror that cannot be ignored

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There are no words that can adequately describe the national tragedy, the horror, that is the discovery of the remains of 215 small bodies at the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation.

These are the bodies of children who had attended Kamloops Indian Residential School, the largest such school in the residential schools system of what was previously known as Indian Affairs.

A nation mourns alongside the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation.

“With access to the latest technology, the true accounting of the missing students will hopefully bring some peace and closure to those lives lost and their home communities,” reads a statement from the office of Chief Rosanne Casimir.

Peace and closure is the least we can do for these families, communities and, of course, these children whose lives were tragically cut short.

But it is far from all we can do. There is more that can — and must — be done.

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As the band council explains, ground-penetrating radar was the technology used to reveal this horrific mass grave.

The painful reality is that this may be far from the last such grave to be discovered. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission warns that there are likely thousands of such bodies buried in unmarked graves across our country.

What is Canada prepared to do about this startling reality? What will Prime Minister Justin Trudeau do?

“Moments of silence are respectful and heartfelt, but we need to see real action,” writes Assembly of First Nations National Chief Perry Bellegarde, in a statement sent out on Tuesday.

“The Government of Canada must respond to First Nations seeking assistance in finding our lost children and support our mourning First Nations communities.”

Sun columnist Lorne Gunter discusses in his latest column how Canada, for the past 100 years, has played a part in the Commonwealth War Graves Commission which identifies unknown soldiers and how something similar could be done for children who died at residential schools.

The federal government and all Canadians must take the calls of Chief Bellegarde and other First Nations leaders seriously so that we can give these lost children the respect that they were shamefully denied in their lives.