Facts over feelings

Last week THE EQUITY published a letter to the editor responding to the editorial of the July 6 edition entitled “Too early to forget”. This letter to the editor argued that the writer of the editorial did not do adequate research on the topic of unmarked graves on the sites of residential schools. More specifically, the writer of the letter argued that an article by Terry Glavin was the most accurate representation of the events of 2021. Though
THE EQUITY does not agree with the stance taken by the author of the letter it is not our place to censor people. When letters come in, as long as they aren’t vulgar and they are not stealing someone else’s intellectual property, we will run them. That being said, after publishing letters, we have a responsibility to our readers to ensure that facts are accurately represented and that difficult conversations continue to be had.
Firstly, the advice stated in the letter was to ensure that exhaustive research is done before offering opinions. The suggestion given for exhaustive research was to read Terry Glavin’s 2022 article “The Year of the Graves: How the world’s media got it wrong on residential school graves,” as the reader argued that this is the most accurate statement of events. This is unequivocally wrong. To argue that every reporter reporting on the discovery of unmarked graves is wrong and that only one person (Terry Glavin) is reporting on what actually happened is naïve at best.
Glavin’s article argues that the graves were not unmarked but were instead part of a Catholic graveyard on the grounds of the residential school, and that people already knew of its existence. He also argues that the real issue is the media frenzy surrounding the uncovering of the graves, as it is not a new story. I would like to argue that even if Glavin’s point was true, which it isn’t, it is never a bad thing for marginalized groups to be represented in mainstream media, and for these groups to have the opportunity to speak candidly about their experiences. This is especially true when these experiences lead to generational trauma, and when these groups have historically had their stories white-washed, disputed, or silenced all together.
Furthermore, Glavin’s point is moot because even if the “unmarked gravesites” were a Catholic graveyard belonging to the school, many of the bodies uncovered were of children who attended the school. Most people would concur that it is a parent’s worst fear to send their children to school and never have them return home. This was a reality for many Indigenous parents because of the residential school system. To that point, the vast majority of children in residential schools were not enrolled by their parents, they were taken without permission. Where we come from, when someone takes a child without permission it is considered kidnapping, which is what the government did to Indigenous communities for over 150 years.
Finally, the editorial was not a commentary on the unmarked graves, it was a commentary on how quickly people move on from tragedy, and how public support only lasts as long as the media allows it to. The editorial started off simply observing the diminishing number of people who wore orange from one year to the next. It is frankly disheartening that it was met by a reader seemingly arguing that the unmarked graves were overstated, or that they did not happen at all.
It is understandable to feel uncomfortable with the reality of Canadian history. But the nature of history is not to make people comfortable. If the majority of people were comfortable with history it would probably be wildly inaccurate. THE EQUITY is dedicated to delivering factual information. We encourage people to engage with our content and to hold us to this standard. Discussions like these can be uncomfortable, but they are essential in order to move forward.

Eva Baldi