The big picture: The discovery of the Tk’emlups te Secwépemc First Nation children's remains has renewed calls for the Roman Catholic Church to apologize for its role in Canada's policy of the 19th and 20th centuries that saw Indigenous children removed from families to attend state-funded residential schools.
Many of the almost 150,000 children attending the schools from 1883 to 1996 to "assimilate" into white Canadian society encountered neglect and abuse, as their native languages and cultures were forbidden, the Washington Post reports.
Canada's government apologized in 2008, admitting that physical and sexual abuse in the schools was widespread.
Details: Tk'emlups te Secwépemc First Nation Chief Rosanne Casimir said in a statement announcing the discovery Thursday, "To our knowledge, these missing children are undocumented deaths.".
Prime Minister Trudeau tweeted Friday that the discovery was "a painful reminder of that dark and shameful chapter of our country's history.".
"So that's something that we need to look into the Catholic Church to be doing, to accept that" accountability, Blackstock said.
Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout. »