I grew up on a farm near the Marieval Indian Residential School, near the Cowessess First Nation, in Saskatchewan. My family lived there until I was 17 years old. I have fond memories of rural life, of picking rocks and threshing grain, alongside my family. I was raised Roman Catholic and attended a local school where my friends and I were taught by nuns. We bought fish from our Indigenous neighbours, who caught them in nearby Crooked Lake and the Calling Lakes and they worked the farm land with us in the busy times.
The news of the discovery of 751 unmarked graves near that Marieval “school” fills me with profound grief and makes me reflect. Where I spent my childhood years working, laughing and learning with my family, generations of Indigenous children were treated with cruelty and separated from their families, including in their deaths.
The abuse and misery weren’t hidden away. Governments and churches were so arrogant and confident that their genocidal policies were right that they didn’t hide their crimes. Settler families didn’t ask questions or didn’t know their Indigenous neighbours well enough to hear about what was going on at the residential “schools.” While many Indigenous parents and children resisted, oppression and discrimination led to fear, and fear led to silence.
No matter how hard it is for non-Indigenous Canadians to face up to the awful truth of the Indian residential “school” system, things are much, much harder for Indigenous families and communities. Their grief and their healing must be at the centre of all we now do to continue the necessary work of reconciliation.
Tomorrow is Election Day in British Columbia and there’s too much at stake for Steelworkers to sit this one out. Across our province, working families are facing real challenges. Forestry communities are fighting to protect jobs and keep mills running. Mining workers need stronger safety protections and training. Canadian jobs are threatened by outsourcing, and […]
KAMLOOPS, B.C. – United Steelworkers union (USW) Local 7619 has issued 72-hour strike notice to Teck’s Highland Valley Copper (HVC) operation near Logan Lake, B.C., following unsuccessful negotiations to reach a fair collective agreement. The notice was served Tuesday, Oct. 20, at 6:30 p.m., with the union preparing for potential strike action if an agreement […]
The jobs of thousands of USW members have been plunged into uncertainty due to U.S. tariffs, outsourcing and offshoring. In 2025, the Steelworkers Humanity Fund (SHF) has supported initiatives that help build union-to-union solidarity, which is critical to ensuring workers have a voice. Over the years, the USW has supported the efforts of the Mexican […]