Faculty of Law

It is with great sadness that we at TRU Law heard of the discovery of a mass burial site on the grounds of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School, only minutes away from our campus. While the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) estimated the number of deaths in residential schools as a little over 3,000, this finding constitutes evidence of a substantial number of undocumented deaths. Our sincerest condolences go to the communities affected by this tragedy and specifically to Tk’emlúps Kúkpi7 Rosanne Casimir who is leading her people through this difficult time.

Law schools across Canada have pledged to answer the TRC Calls to Action in the pursuit of justice for Indigenous peoples. For a number of years, TRU Law has sought, through a variety of initiatives, to meet TRC Call to Action 28, which seeks to produce graduates with the knowledge of Indigenous laws and legal traditions required of them as advocates and citizens. TRU Law has sought to address these courses both inside and outside of the classroom. In doing so, we are very fortunate to be on the traditional lands of the Tk’emlúps te Secwe̓pemc within Secwépemc'ulucw, the traditional territory of the Secwépemc people. This makes possible very valuable land-based instruction.

For first-year students at TRU Law, learning opportunities include a focus on Secwépemc laws and legal issues. But students also visit the Kamloops Indian Residential School, the site of the recent discovery, to learn about the history and legacy of residential schools. These opportunities continue in the upper years of study, where students are made aware of crown/Indigenous Relations and Canada’s international legal obligations to Indigenous peoples. Throughout, the work is structured around Indigenous teachings and employs innovative teaching and evaluation methods, applied exercises, and peer-to-peer learning elements.

While TRU Law is proud of these various initiatives, and a very active Indigenous Law Students Association, we also wish to do more. In particular, since the beginning of 2021, we have constituted a standing committee on Indigenous Initiatives and approved a mandatory course explicitly meeting the lessons underlined in TRC Call to Action 28. The discovery of these 215 undocumented burials underscores the importance of these developments and the issues they address.