International Human Rights Tribunal into Genocide in Canada (IHRTGC) looking into residential school deaths
“Come Clean Canada! Where are the Bodies of 50,000 Children?”
In the Face of Continued Duplicity and Cover-up, a Genuine Investigation into Genocide in Canada is Finally Launched - Kevin Annett to Commence Speaking and Organizing Tour in Eastern Canada
Ottawa: The man who blew the lid off the deaths of thousands of children in Canadian Indian Residential Schools is arriving in the nation’s capital this Tuesday, October 23 to help launch a genuine inquiry into their fate.
Reverend Kevin Annett, award-winning producer of the film UNREPENTANT and author of the ground-breaking book Hidden from History: The Canadian Holocaust, compelled the Harper government last April to raise the issue of disappeared residential school children in the House of Commons. Annett is returning to Ottawa this week to throw some hard questions at the government.
In a recent letter to Minister of Indian Affairs Chuck Strahl, Annett asked,
“Would we have let serial killer Clifford Olson run the inquiry into the location and fate of his murdered victims? Or help him avoid imprisonment by issuing ‘apologies’ and a bit of money to this victims’ families? Then why are we allowing and paying for far more prolific killers to do exactly that towards their 50,000 victims, those killers being the Roman Catholic, Anglican and United Church of Canada?”
In response to Mr. Strahl’s recent announcement that a church-affiliated “Truth and Reconciliation Commission” would be responsible for “investigating” the deaths of children in residential schools run by these very same churches, a coalition of native and non-native groups has launched The International Human Rights Tribunal into Genocide in Canada (IHRTGC) to win full disclosure concerning the fate and location of these children, and bring the perpetrators to justice.
To further this inquiry, Kevin Annett is conducting a six city speaking tour in Quebec and Ontario between October 23 and November 3. A public lecture in Ottawa will be his first appearance in a total of 14 speaking and film engagements in eastern Canada, which will be followed by an extended group of lectures and other actions in Boston, New York and Washington, D.C., and at the United Nations in March, 2008.
Following on his recent invitation to participate in the prestigious Echenberg International Conference on Genocide at McGill University in Montreal that featured Gen. Romeo Daillaire, Annett announced his intent to bring the evidence of genocide in Canadian Residential Schools to the General Assembly of the United Nations this spring. Annett is supported in this quest by many grass roots aboriginal people and traditional elders across Canada.
According to Ojibway elder Chief Louis Daniels of Winnipeg, who survived Brandon residential school,
“Kevin Annett is the one white man who has made our voice be heard. For nearly fifteen years he has sacrificed everything to bring out the truth of crimes committed by the churches and government against our people, and to win justice for residential school survivors. So I adopted him as my son in the spring of 2004 and gave him the name Eagle Strong Voice to recognize that he is the fulfillment of the prophecy among my people, that one day a white man would help us recover our voice. I ask you to listen to him and receive him and his work”.
Besides meeting with politicians and church leaders, Kevin Annett will be speaking and screening his film UNREPENTANT to academics, residential school survivors and the general public at these times and venues:
Tuesday, October 23: Ottawa
2:00 pm: University of Ottawa, Aboriginal Resource Centre, University Centre, 3rd floor.
6:45 pm: Carleton University, Rm. 435, St. Patrick’s Bldg (1125 Colonel By Drive)
Thursday, October 25: Montreal
1:00 - 9:00 pm: Course lectures at Concordia University
Friday, October 26: Montreal
10:00 am - 12:30 pm: McGill University, School of Social Work, Wendy Patrick Room (3506 University St. at Milton)
Monday, October 29: Windsor
7:00 pm - University of Windsor, Vanier Hall, The Oak Room (401 Sunset Ave.)
Tuesday, October 30: London
2:00 pm: Fanshawe Social Justice Lecture (TBA)*
7:00 pm: Medix School, 1299 Oxford St. E.
Wednesday, October 31: London
12 noon: King’s College, Wemple Student Lounge
7:00 pm: Medix School, 1299 Oxford St. E.
Thursday, November 1: Hamilton
1:00 pm: McMaster University (TBA)*
7:00 pm: Solidarity House, 779 Barton St. East
Friday, November 2: Toronto
1:00 pm: Ryerson University (TBA)*
6:30 pm: University of Toronto (TBA)*
Saturday, November 3: Toronto - 4 pm: Leaves for Vancouver
* Note: For information on the location of these meetings, or to arrange media interviews with him, contact Kevin Annett at hiddenfromhistory@yahoo.ca or 1-888-265–1007.
Issued 21-22 October, 2007
www.hiddenfromhistory.org