Trudeau visiting Indigenous community that found unmarked graves

Canadian PM’s visit to Williams Lake First Nation comes amid push for justice for residential school abuses

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is visiting Williams Lake First Nation, an Indigenous community on the country’s west coast that recently uncovered dozens of potential unmarked graves on the grounds of a former “residential school”.

Trudeau and Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Marc Miller are meeting local leaders and residential school survivors, as well as touring the site of the former St Joseph Mission Residential School.

A preliminary search of the former school grounds uncovered 93 “reflections” believed to be unmarked gravesites, Williams Lake announced in January.

“We’re thankful that the Prime Minister is making the time to visit Williams Lake First Nation,” Chief Willie Sellars said in a statement announcing the visit.