Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal Holds Government Responsible for Residential School System Crimes 

Frances Webber, English barrister and co-chair of the Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal, reads from the PPT’s preliminary findings in Montreal on May 29, 2026. Photo: Jesse Staniforth/APTN

An international panel of human rights experts has formally accused the Government of Canada of committing genocide against its Indigenous population. The verdict, delivered September 30, 2026, Canada’s National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, follows five days of hearings in Montreal where survivors shared testimonies spanning more than a century of suffering.

The Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal (PPT), an independent international opinion court established in 1979, has concluded Case 57: Missing Children and Unmarked Graves in Canada. Its purpose is to hear victims when national systems fail. The tribunal concluded that Canada historically adopted policies deemed crimes against humanity with genocidal intent.

Although the PPT has no enforcement power, advocates say its authority stems from exposing violations when national institutions refuse to act.

Why a Tribunal Was Necessary

The request originated with the Native Women’s Shelter of Montreal, supported by the Survivors Secretariat and Aboriginal Legal Services. Ten years after Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission issued 94 Calls to Action, most remain unimplemented. Recent discoveries of unmarked graves including 751 found at a Saskatchewan residential school site in May 2026 heightened demands for accountability.

“The Tribunal will create a platform for global scrutiny when Canada’s legal institutions failed to act,” said one advocate during opening remarks.

A powerful recap from the Permanent People’s Tribunal on Missing Indigenous Children and Unmarked graves that took place May 25-29, 2026.

The Evidence

Between 4,000 and 6,000 children are known to have died or disappeared while in the residential school system. Evidence presented included:

- Nutritional and medical experiments on underfed children

- Forced labor instead of education

- Physical and sexual abuse for speaking Indigenous languages

- Infants left to die in freezing tents without parental notification

- Forced sterilization of Indigenous women

Audrey Hill, a witness, described being locked in a dark closet alone with no food or water for days. Judge Frances Webber cited her testimony when reading the preliminary statement.

The Verdict

The judgment, presented at Toronto’s Royal Ontario Museum and Montreal’s Every Child Matters March, drew a critical conclusion: this is not a historical crime but an ongoing one.

Tribunal Determination: 

Nature: Genocide and crimes against humanity

Duration: Ongoing, not just historical 

Responsibility: Borne by Canadian government

Current Violations: Forced sterilization continues; child welfare not culturally adapted; communities lack clean water

“These acts persist not because Canada continuously reiterates a murderous intent toward Indigenous Peoples. Instead, they reflect ‘relations of genocide’ driven by government efforts to maintain the settler status quo,” the judgment reads.

Judge Valmaine Toki stated Canada bears responsibility for its “systemic policy of assimilation, dispossession and destruction” affecting successive generations.

Christa Big Canoe, who led the prosecution team, emphasized: “It’s ongoing genocide. It’s not something that happened in the past. It’s ongoing.”

Government Response

The Government of Canada did not participate in the hearings. Pascal Laplante, spokesperson for Crown-Indigenous Relations, responded briefly: “Residential schools are a shameful part of Canada’s colonial history whose painful legacy continues to be felt across the country today.”

Critics argue this represents insufficient action. The tribunal noted that “Canada has bubble wrapped itself from accountability so it can ignore its obligations that it has internationally.”

An empty chair at the tribunal represents the Government of Canada, which declined to participate. (Gloria Henriquez/CBC)

What Comes Next?

Because the PPT operates as an opinion tribunal, its verdict cannot be enforced through Canadian courts. Strategic pathways forward include:

1. Transmission of full judgment to Government of Canada

2. Public advocacy through media and civil society networks

3. International pressure via UN human rights mechanisms

4. Implementation of TRC Calls to Action most still unmet after 10 years

The Survivors Secretariat responded: “We have nothing but hope moving forward.”

Survivor Sam Achneepineskum questioned whether the government is waiting out residential school survivors: “Are they waiting until we’re all gone?”

Why This Matters Globally

Residential school systems existed similarly in the United States, Australia, and New Zealand. More than 15,000 Indigenous children faced forced labour, malnutrition, and abuse according to evidence reviewed during the hearings. The tribunal connected these historical contexts to contemporary patterns.

“This tribunal shows that Indigenous people matter,” wrote Maya Jiymeyihtam Brousseau of the David Suzuki Foundation. “For new generations, this gives comfort.”

Resources

• Our Truths - website dedicated to The Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal Case on The Disappeared Indigenous and Unmarked Burials -  https://our-truths.com/

• Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal: https://permanentpeoplestribunal.org  - International human rights tribunal 

• Survivors Secretariat: https://survivorssecretariat.ca/  Survivor-led support organization 

• National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation:  https://nctr.ca - Residential school records archive