FSIN lauds United Church's response to graves

The Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations praised the United Church of Canada on Monday in a statement calling on other churches to do more in their response to unmarked graves identified at residential school sites around Canada.

The release noted the United Church has apologized for its role in operating 15 residential schools, including one in Round Lake, Sask. The United Church has also reportedly provided compensation to residential school survivors, along with releasing all records from the facilities it operated.

“We appreciate the acknowledgment and apology offered by the United Church. We ask that other church denominations that had a hand in these religious institutions to immediately follow along,” FSIN Chief Bobby Cameron said in the release.

An FSIN spokeswoman said Monday that previous media reports of Cameron announcing that the Catholic Church had sent letters indicating it would release residential school records in its possession were erroneous. Rather, she said Cameron was referring to the response by the United Church while speaking at a residential school site on Sunday near Delmas, but was misquoted.

The United Church of Canada first formally apologized to Indigenous Canadians for its role in colonization in 1986. The church subsequently made a formal apology in 1998 specifically for its role in the residential school system, and subsequently reaffirmed that apology to commemorate its 20th anniversary in 2018.

The FSIN represents 74 First Nations located in Saskatchewan.