HSA Donating To Indian Residential Schools Survivors Society
HSA Donating TO INDIAN RESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS SURVIVORS SOCIETY
As people across this country pause to reflect on the horrors inflicted by the Canadian residential school program for Indigenous Peoples, and the ongoing trauma suffered by the families and communities affected, HSA is donating $25,000 to the Indian Residential Schools Survivors Society, an organization with a twenty-year history of providing essential services to Residential School Survivors, their families, and those dealing with Intergenerational traumas.
“The recent discovery by Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation of unmarked graves for more than 215 children on the grounds of the former residential school in Kamloops has deeply affected HSA members,” said HSA President Kane Tse.
“We recognize that this event has re-traumatized Indigenous people, and re-opened painful wounds for families and communities. We also recognize the important work being done by your organization to support residential school survivors and their families.”
The donation arises from an extraordinary resolution to HSA’s annual convention, passed by delegates on June 3.
In addition to the donation, HSA will take a number of other actions arising from the resolution:
- Issue a public statement of support for the 2015 Truth and Reconciliation Commission Report and Calls to Action;
- work through our affiliation with the National Union of Public and General Employees to lobby the federal government to take immediate to address Truth and Reconciliation Report Calls To Action;
- lobby all levels of Canadian government to investigate deaths in residential schools according to the needs of each community; and lobby the federal government to stop fighting residential school survivors and Indigenous children in court.