{"id":45730,"date":"2021-06-26T07:49:09","date_gmt":"2021-06-26T11:49:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/?p=45730"},"modified":"2021-06-26T07:49:09","modified_gmt":"2021-06-26T11:49:09","slug":"joint-statement-of-commitment-of-the-missionary-oblates-of-mary-immaculate-on-documentation-transparency-regarding-residential-schools","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/2021\/06\/26\/joint-statement-of-commitment-of-the-missionary-oblates-of-mary-immaculate-on-documentation-transparency-regarding-residential-schools\/","title":{"rendered":"Joint Statement of Commitment of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate on Documentation Transparency Regarding Residential Schools"},"content":{"rendered":"

June 24, 2021<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>We are two Catholic religious communities of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate (commonly known as the Oblates) and were involved in operating many of the residential schools throughout Canada.\u00a0 The Oblates operated 48 schools, including the Marieval Indian Residential School and the Kamloops Indian Residential School.\u00a0 We remain deeply sorry for our involvement in residential schools and the harms they brought to Indigenous peoples and communities.<\/p>\n

We want to reiterate our commitment and intent to disclose all historical documents maintained by us and in our possession, in accordance with all legislation, about our involvement.<\/p>\n

With today\u2019s disclosure of the 751 unmarked graves at the former Marieval Indian Residential School on the lands of the Cowessess First Nation, and the recent disclosure of the remains of 215 children at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School on the lands of Tk\u2019emlu\u0301ps te Secwe\u0301pemc, we offer this formal commitment statement.<\/p>\n

Consistent with the Oblate Apology, given in 1991, our two Oblate religious communities (OMI Lacombe Canada and Notre-Dame-du-Cap) have worked to make our historical documents available through partnerships with universities, archives and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. \u00a0While some progress has been made, this disclosure is not complete, and has been complicated by issues of provincial and national privacy laws.<\/p>\n

We are not experts in the management and analysis of these historical documents or the complex privacy laws which apply.\u00a0 However, we must address these issues, as without a full review of the existing historical documentation from our order\u2019s involvement, the truth of residential schools will not be fully known.\u00a0 Recognising that we are not the appropriate organisations to determine which documents can be released within the law, we are seeking guidance and instruction from expert organisations. And we further acknowledge that delays can cause ongoing distrust, distress, and trauma to Indigenous peoples across British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and the rest of the country.<\/p>\n

For this reason, we declare that our commitment to transparency involves the following:<\/p>\n