Residential school denialism has severe impacts on Survivors and descendants of Survivors. Such denialism seeks to erase the ongoing trauma and harm that Indigenous Peoples continue to face because of the legacy of residential schools. It further burdens Survivors and their descendants, whose mental health, well-being, and economic opportunities are still hampered today by this
shameful legacy.

The federal government is committed to addressing the legacy of residential schools. At the heart of this work is supporting Survivors, their families, and their communities, along with educating all people about these truths, to ensure that these wrongs are recognized and never happen again.

To work to correct the damaging legacy of residential schools, the government has compensated Survivors and made historic investments in child welfare, education, language and culture, health, justice, former residential school sites, and missing children and burial sites. The government remains committed to implementing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action to
address the painful legacy of residential schools.

• Budget 2024 proposes to provide $91 million over two years, starting in 2024-25, to Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada to increase the support provided to communities to document, locate, and memorialize burial sites at former residential schools.
• Budget 2024 also proposes to provide $5 million over three years, starting in 2025-26, to Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada to establish a program to combat Residential School denialism.

The government anticipates the Special Interlocutor’s final report and recommendations in spring 2024. This report will support further action towards addressing the harmful legacy of residential schools through a framework relating to federal laws, regulations, policies, and practices surrounding unmarked graves and burials at former residential schools and associated sites. This will
include addressing residential school denialism.

Fiscal Year	2024-2025	2025-2026	2026-2027	2027-2028	2028-2029
Budget	$31M	$62M	$2M	$2M	$0

• Supporting communities to research, locate, and document burial sites at former residential schools, as well as to memorialize deaths of children and return their remains home.
• Ensuring the respectful and culturally appropriate treatment of unmarked graves and burial sites, including through the framework being developed by the Independent Special Interlocutor.
  
• Ensuring communities have access to information to support their efforts to identify, locate, and commemorate their missing children through the National Advisory Committee on Residential Schools Missing Children and Unmarked Burials.
  
• Educating Canadians on the harmful legacy of residential schools and preserving records that are key to honouring the truths of residential school Survivors through the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation.