Adviser on unmarked graves says searches being refused

As some private landowners restrict residential school survivors from performing ceremonies or searching their properties for possible unmarked graves, a federal minister says Ottawa is open to legislating new protections for the possible burial sites.

Kimberly Murray, who was appointed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government to provide it with advice on how to handle such sites, testified before the Senate on Tuesday about her role and the main concerns she says she has heard from Indigenous communities.

“We need access to land,” Murray told senators at a committee hearing. “This is what keeps me awake many nights, thinking about how some things could escalate.”

She said there is currently no federal law in place to protect suspected gravesites or grant communities access to land that is privately owned but is believed to be home to unmarked graves.

Speaking at a separate event, Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Marc Miller said many former sites are located on provincial Crown land, and there is “an immense amount of complexity” around who controls such areas.

While some landowners have shown “good faith” in their willingness to help communities, others have not wanted to give up their property or have increased the purchase price when it comes to surrendering their lands, he said.

“There are potential conflict points,” Miller said.