Canada cuts off funding for committee seeking to locate 'unmarked graves'
After four years, no bodies have been found—but millions have been wasted.
In the wake of the US Department of Government Efficiency's (DOGE) exposure of frivolous government spending under the advisory of Elon Musk, and a looming election, Canada is finally pulling the plug on its committee to find “unmarked graves” at former residential schools.
The National Advisory Committee on Residential Schools, Missing Children, and Unmarked Burials (NAC), which is run jointly with the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR) under the federal Department of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs, was formed after the false claim that the Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation band had discovered the “remains of 215 children who were students of the Kamloops Indian Residential School.”
The decision is quite the turnaround from the federal government’s previous stance. Just last year, Ottawa issued a profuse apology for the “re-traumatization” of Indigenous communities after announcing plans to reduce funding for alleged unmarked grave searches. Initially, communities could receive up to $3 million each for such searches, but the government moved to cap funding at $500,000 per community.
After backlash over the budget reduction, Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Gary Anandasangaree reversed course, calling the decision “a mistake” and vowing that Canada would remain committed to “finding the children” in his written statement.
“Our intention was to fund as many initiatives as possible, but we recognize that the lack of flexibility of these changes was a mistake,” he wrote.
“We committed to being there alongside communities every step of the way. That commitment remains, and I apologize for any hurt or re-traumatization these changes may have caused.”
Despite Rebel News’ 2022 investigative documentary Kamloops: The Buried Truth exposing the falsehood behind the Kamloops claims, and despite zero bodies being discovered in the four years since, the federal government continued to pour taxpayer dollars into unmarked grave searches. Up to $300 million per year in total was set aside for approximately 100 communities working with the committee alone.
My documentary Kamloops: The Buried Truth, which exposed the false claim that the remains of 215 Indigenous children were discovered at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School, is on Apple TV!
— Drea Humphrey - Prepping and Politics (@DreaHumphrey) February 18, 2025
But you can also watch it for free or by donation here: https://t.co/VrrkqIJdiR pic.twitter.com/eIBXXon6to
Canada also failed to immediately halt funding after financial records obtained by Blacklock’s Reporter through a freedom of information request raised serious questions about how millions in taxpayer dollars allotted for alleged grave searches were actually being diverted.
The records revealed that the millions never went toward investigative practices such as exhumations and instead the funds were spent on publicists, consultants, and administrative costs.
The Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation initially received $7.9 million for fieldwork, records searches, and securing the residential school site. That figure later ballooned to $12.1 million. Financial records show that in just nine months, $37,500 went to “marketing and communications,” $54,000 to travel, and $405,000 to administrative costs, including speaking fees and tent rentals.
The records also noted that 25 consultants were hired to provide “advice and support” to the band’s Chief and Council, while $532,000 was spent on security.
The Department of Crown-Indigenous Relations even questioned whether any archaeological or forensic work was actually being done. An internal email from Mandy McCarthy, the department’s acting director general, noted:
“We are not seeking to intervene in this matter but are trying to understand the approach … I know you are aware of the incredibly complex nature of this type of work.”
The government ultimately censored details surrounding the $12.1 million, leaving unanswered questions about exactly where all the money went. What remains clear, however, is that despite the lack of tangible evidence of nefarious graves, millions of taxpayer dollars were funneled into a project that became more about consultants and PR than uncovering the truth.
Please sign our petition to demand transparency and accountability from our elected leaders!
Drea Humphrey
B.C. Bureau Chief
Based in British Columbia, Drea Humphrey reports on Western Canada for Rebel News. Drea’s reporting is not afraid to challenge political correctness, or ask the tough questions that mainstream media tends to avoid.
Featured Stories
COMMENTS
-
Frank Narejko commented 2025-02-19 13:05:56 -0500A Canadian Tradition. Cover-ups and Fraud. -
Bruce Atchison commented 2025-02-18 21:12:07 -0500Some bureaucrat is getting wise to the fact that there are NO buried children on residential school grounds. More and more citizens are seeing how fake the whole grifting scam is.
