MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th June, 2021) Hundreds of unmarked graves have been discovered at the site of a former residential school in Canada's southern province of Saskatchewan weeks after the remains of 215 children were found at an indigenous school site in the province of British Columbia, local media reported.
The Cowessess First Nation and the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous First Nations (FSIN), which represents Saskatchewan's First Nations, said on Wednesday the discovery was made at the former Marieval Indian Residential School site, the CDC broadcaster reported.
Though the exact number of the graves was not specified, it is regarded as one of the most massive burial sites found to date in Canada, the broadcaster added.
The Marieval Indian Residential School operated from 1899 to 1997 as part of the residential school system, which placed indigenous children in state-sanctioned boarding schools, where they were to be culturally assimilated.
The previous such a discovery was made at the Kamloops Indian Residential School site in late May, sparking a strong backlash throughout the country. Back then, National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations Perry Bellegarde urged the authorities to launch a probe into all former residential school sites.
