Bringing Our Children Home Initiative

08/25/2026

The Bringing Our Children Home team will always be grateful for the support we received from Norma.

08/21/2026

**INITIATIVE NEWS**
Our latest newsletter has been posted on our official website. Click on the link below to access the full newsletter.
https://www.bikiiwewinig.com/news

08/13/2026

Our Initiative is ineligible to apply for this funding; however, you may wish to share this information within your own Community. IRS-related activities undertaken by non-lead investigating communities and organizations impacted by IRS burial investigations are encouraged to apply.

Ontario is investing $7 million through the Indian Residential School Community Engagement Fund (IRSCEF) to support Indigenous-led healing, commemoration and remembrance initiatives.

Eligible Indigenous communities and organizations can apply for up to $250,000 in funding.

Learn more and apply: https://www.ontario.ca/page/available-funding-opportunities-ontario-government?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=dhfacebook&utm_content=app.dashsocial.com%2Fiafner-en%2Flibrary%2Fmedia%2F707547989 -7

07/31/2026

Community Outreach at Sioux Lookout Airport. Thank you to everyone who visited our information booth. We are looking to connect with Survivors and families of the former Pelican Lake Residential School. If you know someone, please reach out to us. Every connection matters.

07/28/2026

Truth-Telling is about acknowledging the experiences of Survivors, learning from history, and ensuring that future generations inherit understanding instead of silence. By facing the truth with honesty and respect, we create a stronger path toward reconciliation.

07/15/2026

First Nations Chiefs unanimously passed an emergency resolution calling on the Government of Canada to criminalize Indian Residential School denialism as hate speech. The resolution argues that denying or deliberately minimizing the documented history and harms of the residential school system fuels anti-Indigenous racism and harms Survivors and their families.

07/15/2026

First Nations Chiefs unanimously passed an emergency resolution calling on the Government of Canada to criminalize Indian Residential School denialism as hate speech. The resolution argues that denying or deliberately minimizing the documented history and harms of the residential school system fuels anti-Indigenous racism and harms Survivors and their families.

You can read the full article here:

https://globalnews.ca/news/11967115/first-nations-residential-school-denialism/

07/15/2026

First Nations Chiefs unanimously passed an emergency resolution calling on the Government of Canada to criminalize Indian Residential School denialism as hate speech. The resolution argues that denying or deliberately minimizing the documented history and harms of the residential school system fuels anti-Indigenous racism and harms Survivors and their families.

You can read the full article here:

First Nations chiefs say the federal government is enabling residential school denialism by failing to make it a crime.

07/14/2026

Following a week of testimony in Montreal (May 25–29), the Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal (PPT) delivered a preliminary finding that Canada’s Indian Residential School (IRS) system constituted genocide under international law.

The tribunal heard testimony from Survivors, experts, and advocates examining the lasting impacts of IRSs, including family separation, cultural loss, abuse, and intergenerational trauma. The 57th session concluded with findings that genocide can occur through the forced removal of children, the forced/coerced sterilizations of Indigenous women/girls, and the destruction of culture across generations.

“In international law, genocide need not involve mass killings… It can be a slow and continual process taking place over centuries. The genocidal intent behind the forced removal of children was explicit,” said PPT co-chair Frances Webber.

The Survivors’ Secretariat participated in the hearings and supported Survivor involvement. On the third day of the Tribunal, the Survivors’ Secretariat’s investigation into the Mohawk Institute was used as an example of the challenges and barriers faced by Survivor-led investigations happening across the country.

Laura Arndt and Dr. Scott Hamilton highlighted the ongoing work documenting the history of the Mohawk Institute and the investigation into potential unmarked burials. Laura Arndt of the Secretariat emphasized the continued importance of truth-seeking and accountability as well as the need for sustainable and long-term funding. Several Mohawk Institute Survivors were also in attendance either providing in-person or video testimony to the Tribunal.

A full decision and report are expected on September 30, National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

Read more: https://survivorssecretariat.ca/news/in-the-news/