Details of the covenant signed between Tk’emlúps and the Catholic Church at the end of March have now been made public.

The document contains a historical review of the role the Catholic Church took in running the Residential School system, as well as steps moving forward, including financial and scientific support from the Church connected to the issue of unmarked graves.

“That we will work together and share information in full transparency to determine the truth: the identities of the children, the circumstances of their deaths, and all information about the missing children to ensure we can accurately determine their home communities so they can rest in peace and their families have answers,” states a section of the covenant connected to steps forward.

“The Catholic Parties, through the Healing and Reconciliation Grant program, will provide technical and scientific expertise and technical services needed to answer the questions raised by the previous GPR survey. This provision is offered as an act of reconciliation in action as called for by the TRC. The Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc and other affected Nations will choose how and when to honour, repatriate, and remember their deceased children.”

The 31 point covenant also addresses the issue of unmarked graves, but in language which appears to include some ambiguity toward responsibility for the deaths.

“Tragically, some children died while attending residential schools, most of disease and others from accidents and even suicide,” states one of the points in the agreement.  “According to some reports, Aboriginal students died at rates that were higher than those experienced by the general school-aged population and their parents were sometimes uninformed of their children’s sickness and death.”

The agreement also points to failings of the federal government connected to the deaths of children at Residential Schools.

“The Government of Canada did not establish an adequate set of standards and regulations to guarantee the health and safety of residential school students and did not adhere to the minimum standards and regulations that it did establish,” states one of the points.  “Moreover, the Government chronically underfunded and understaffed Residential schools, including the Kamloops Residential School.”

The Catholic Diocese of Vancouver and Tk’emlúps have held a joint news conference Wednesday to provide more insight into their agreement.

Comments from Kukpi7 Rosanne Casimir and Archbishop of the Catholic Diocese of Vancouver, Michael Miller, can be heard below.