The Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations Executive is describing the United Church’s approach to residential school survivors as respectful. The FSIN issued a news release Monday saying the United Church of Canada has provided records and financial support to residential school survivors and the searches for unmarked graves currently taking place at sites of former residential schools across the country. The FSIN is calling on all churches involved to follow suit and immediately release all school records to the First Nations.

The United Church of Canada operated 15 residential schools in Canada, including one in Round Lake, Saskatchewan. The Church states, “We acknowledge that our role in the residential school system and colonization is an abuse of power through our Christian faith.”

The statement from the Moderator of the United Church of Canada on Residential School Burial Sites also indicates that they want to share the work they have done in consultation with community on identifying and restoring graveyards. The United Church in southwestern Manitoba has actively supported ongoing work on the identification and preservation of gravesites related to the residential school in Brandon; this includes the 104 graves identified off-site in 2018. In Saskatchewan, they say the church supported the community of Okanese in preserving its graveyard and honouring the children buried there. The United Church of Canada has also been a partner in the preservation of the Regina Industrial School cemetery. (Regina was operated by the Presbyterian church, but the United Church shares responsibility.) United Churches in Red Deer, Alberta, worked to preserve the residential school cemetery in cooperation with the communities whose children were sent to Red Deer. There has also been research into possible graves at the Edmonton Residential School.