Newsday - Canada 'must investigate other indigenous schools' - BBC Sounds

In Canada, flags are flying at half-mast this week following the horrific discovery of the bodies of 215 children at the site of a former residential school for indigenous children in Kamloops, British Colombia.

The Canadian Prime minister Justine Trudeau tweeted that it was a reminder of a 'dark and shameful chapter of our country’s history'. Thousands of indigenous children were taken from their families by federal troops - often at gunpoint - and placed in boarding schools run by religious organisations under the pretext that they would be better cared for there.

Instead, they were forced to stop using their own language and those who died - under unknown circumstances - were buried in unmarked graves.

Arlen Dumas is the Grand Chief of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs. He says the government must pledge money so that excavations can take place in other schools. He says the children who died deserve a proper burial and memorial.

"This federally funded institution which essentially had taken these children at gunpoint were negligent and caused the death of these children so we know these children were murdered by the federally funded school."