By Brieanna Charlebois Almost five years ago, the monument in front of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School was surrounded by flowers, cards, soft toys and other mementoes, echoing grief that had swept across Canada. On May 27, 2021, the Tkemlúps te Secwepemc First Nation had announced that ground-penetrating radar had found more the 200 suspected children’s’ graves on the grounds of the school. Now, a lone bouquet lays in front of the memorial, amid ongoing soul-searching, and what some First Nations leaders say is a wave of denialism about Indigenous suffering in residential schools. Robert Phillips, the political executive with the First Nations Summit, said he remembers the announcement vividly, calling it a “shocking discovery” for First Nations, Canadians and for people around the world. “From that, people wanted…
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