Acknowledging Statement Made at Convocation Ceremony

Today, during a convocation address at one of our graduation ceremonies, Father Norman Macphee made reference to Fatima House in Honduras, referring to it as a “residential school” and noting that “Residential schools don’t get good press. But this one gets very good press in Honduras.” Fatima House is a school created to support young women in the country of Honduras.

While we recognize the good intentions in speaking about supporting young women in Honduras, there is no residential school that should ever get good press. We acknowledge that even the words “residential schools” carry a deeply painful legacy for Indigenous peoples in Canada, and right here in Mi’kma’ki. These institutions were sites of cultural suppression, loss and lasting trauma. There is nothing about residential schools to be celebrated.

We acknowledge the harm and triggers these comments made by Father Norman MacPhee caused for survivors and their families of Mi’kmaw Nation. We are deeply sorry for the hurt this caused. We, at CBU, value the relationships we have built with Indigenous communities and will continue to do the work of reconciliation. We condemn the work of residential schools and the intergenerational impacts they caused.