On March 25, 2026, Rosanne Casimir, the Kamloops Indian Band Chief and one of the main perpetrators of the #Kamloops215Deception, testifies in front of the Senate Standing Committee on Indigenous Peoples. This is the first time in a number of years that she has been forced to answer questions.
https://senparlvu.parl.gc.ca/harmony/en/powerbrowser/powerbrowserv2?fk=689414&globalstreamid=3
Casimir first compares the #Kamloops215Deception “investigation” to the Robert Pickton and Holocaust investigations: “Comparable investigations in Canada and internationally have taken decades…Truth takes time. Justice requires commitment. And Canada must be prepared to support the sacred work for generations”.
Casimir also talks about the importance of transparency for “identifying the children”. She argues that this is important because, without all the information, “The families cannot be notified. The truth cannot be confirmed. Denialism is growing in the absence of evidence”.
The most important exchange occurs between Casimir and Senator Scott Tannas. Tannas asks “Out of the 215 graves, how many do you believe, how many identities, how many people have you identified that you believe are within that 215?” Casimir replies “That is out of my realm right at this time. I can share that a lot of work has taken place” and that this work is supported internationally and there is still a great deal of work to be done.
Senator Tannas then asks a follow up question: “How do you get to the spot where you say o.k. it’s time for us to begin excavating and trying to start bringing people home?” Casimir replies: “Well I definitely see it as a longer process that is going to take some time [and sustainable funding]”. She asserts that 38 nations had children taken, and this results in a diversity of cultural protocols and having access to records to “coincide them with the oral truth telling”. Casimir speaks about “the right to truth” being a legal principle but also “being a human obligation”.
Casimir then argues that “Education is essential to prevent denialism, but also to advance accountability”. She maintains that “denialism” is traumatizing for survivors and their families and the government needs to “do more” about it.
In response to Senator Mary Jane McCallum’s question about “repatriation” and what to do about “the bodies there”, Casimir states that “It has to be something that we can all agree to be able to do because we have many that say that is their final resting place – memorialization – but we also know that investigation is so extremely critical and important. For us it is about the truth for our survivors but also to advance that to be able to get to a place of justice and reconciliation”.
Chief Rosanne Casimir argues that “residential school denialism” should be criminalized because “Free speech does not include the right to cause harm” and “denialism is causing harms because it is retraumatizing our survivors”. According to Casimir, “it is not a matter of debate in any shape or form”. “It is not about restricting free speech in any way”, Casimir proclaims. “It is about protecting the dignity and the safety but also the humanity of survivors and their families”. In Casimir’s view, “we need to be doing more to uphold truth but also to share the truth”.
