(Insert date here)
Hon. (insert local MP)
(Address)
(city and province)
(postal code)
(Find your MPs contact information and insert it here)
Dear Hon. (MPs name),
My name is (insert name here) and I am a constituent in your district at (insert postal code). I am writing this letter with a great deal of grief and concern. The news of the 215 children’s bodies that were recovered at the former Kamloops Residential School, and the findings since, have shaken the nation. To some this may come as a surprise, but to others who are educated on the cultural genocide of Indigenous peoples in Canada, this tragedy was unfortunately to be expected.
I am strongly encouraging you to take action and request funding for forensic archeology investigations in collaboration with Indigenous communities to occur on all Indian Residential School grounds, including those that operated without federal support. There is a petition for a National Day of Mourning for the lost children of residential school, however, I believe coupled with the concrete actions that I am strongly encouraging you to advocate for would better address the still very dark and shameful current chapter of our country’s history.
This action is a part of Truth and Reconciliation that the Government of Canada committed to back in 2015. As one of the main perpetrators of this violence against Indigenous peoples, your government must take concrete actions to mend its relationships with Indigenous peoples in meaningful ways.
As the Government of Canada, you must do better; you must honour and respect the lives of these children and the families who never received answers by giving them a proper resting place. Their voices, which would have carried knowledge, language, love, and tradition, have now been erased at the hands of the Canadian government.
Thank you for taking the time to listen to my concerns, and I look forward to receiving a response from you on this matter.
Sincerely,
(Your name)
(City, Province)
(Phone Number)
Sent this letter to my MP – thank you for this valuable resource!
Hello, and thank you for creating this template! I will be linking this template in my blog at https://cathyrosehealing.wixsite.com/home/post/tribute-to-215-children as a call to action for anyone who wishes to write their local government official. If you wish to not be linked to blog, please let me know and I will remove it.
Thank you,
Cathy
Cathy Rose Healing
Thank you very much for this resource! I hope many Canadians will take action using this template.
Thank you for this resource. I have shared on my social media and will be using the template to help form my own letter. – Josh – Uninvited guest on the unceded Territory of the Coast Salish Peoples.
Thank you for this. We will share your website and we will also get your template translated into French.
Thank you so much for this letter template!! I used it – added a few things – and sent it off to my MP this evening and also flooded my friends’ messenger accounts and social media to encourage them to do the same 🙂 I also mentioned your website/Instagram in my posts for credit.
I’m Anishinaabe from Nipissing First Nation AND the Grandson of a St. Anne’s Residential School Survivor. My Grandmother’s name is DORA ALICE EVANUSH.
I am a 2nd generation ‘Intergenerational Trauma’ Survivor as a DIRECT result of the TORTURE my Grandmother was subjected to.
On behalf of my Grandmother, all my Ancestors and family, I DEMAND yhat ALL of the 94 Calls to Action be FULLY implemented NOW!
Thank you!!!
It’s hard to find well-informed people in this particular topic, however, you sound like you know what you’re talking about! Thanks