Donna Dubie and her staff at Healing of Seven Generations had to relive trauma once again after news broke of 751 unmarked graves at the site of a former residential school in Saskatchewan.
"There's going to be a lot more," said the executive director of the non-profit that serves Indigenous Peoples in Cambridge and the wider Waterloo region.
"It's a holocaust; it's an absolute genocide," she added. "Think about all the generations and the number of individuals that were killed and murdered without any ceremony and their families knowing that their kids passed away. It's horrible."
And it's not over, said Dubie.
The Cowessess First Nation used ground-penetrating radar recently to discover the graves at the Marieval Indian Residential School, which operated from 1899 to 1997 in the area where the First Nation is now located, about 140 kilometres east of Regina.
"The discovery of the children has given evidence and now they believe us and the government has to backpedal," said Dubie. "I can't wait to hear what the different levels of government will say."
She said she was also awaiting an apology from the Pope.
"Is he going to apologize after thousands of children have been unearthed?" asked Dubie. "How do people affiliated with these churches feel about it?"
These discoveries, she said, put everybody in a state of awe right now.
"But how are they going to hold the governments accountable?" said Mohawk, Six Nations Territory of the Grand River, Turtle Clan member. "And what's retribution going to be?"
Dubie said in her opinion, retribution would depend on the First Nation the government talks to.
"Everybody has their own needs and wants in the community," she said. "I'm a Six Nations Band member and by the time water gets to them, something happens along the way that makes the water undrinkable. There are many many things that are going on. People think we get things for free, but we don't."
In light of the recent mass graves discovered near residential schools some cities in B.C. have cancelled Canada Day celebrations. The City of Cambridge has made no such move yet.
"I think they need to think twice about having a celebration of Canada Day knowing what they know today," said Dubie. "Is that a celebration of Canada Day? Would they really feel they would honour and respect First Peoples knowing that this has happened?"
The First Nations community, she said, doesn't celebrate Canada Day the way Canadian residents do.
"All we say is Happy Steal Our Land Day," Dubie said. "That's what it's all about. They took our land and became the own entity of Canada. Even right now, in the light of what's going on, how can this country celebrate its birthday knowing the travesty it's committed on the First Peoples."
A statement from regional chair Karen Redman says Canada Day is a day for pause and reflection.
"It is a reminder of the inequitable treatment experienced by many communities throughout our history," reads the statement shared online. "This includes the treatment of First Nations, Inuit and Metis communities, and their ancestral lands that we now call home and with whom we share this land."
Redman's statement also says that it's important to remember that Canada Day is not about fireworks, but about people.
"For many, Canada Day is a day of gratitude and celebration," it reads. "Gratitude for immigration, gratitude for the sacrifices of previous generations, and gratitude for the services and community offered by our country. It is also a time for us to celebrate and welcome new Canadians, for whom July 1st is of special significance."
The online statement says whether someone chooses to celebrate, or pause and reflect, or both, it's an individual decision and is respected.
But, it adds, work remains to be done in our institutions and in our society to address homophobia, transphobia, biphobia, anti-Black racism, Islamophobia, and racism or discrimination of any kind.
A quote was also emailed from the office of Bryan May, Cambridge Member of Parliament.
"The tragic discovery in Saskatchewan is another reminder of the dark past that Canada must continue to confront," reads the email. "The use of residential schools perpetuated a horrible injustice to First Nations peoples, the legacy of which still continues today. We must witness this shocking truth, understand it, pay our respects, and continue the work of reconciliation in making things right with Indigenous Canadians."
City of Cambridge did not provide a statement about whether it is proceeding with its Old Post Office photo projection project, however, the website says, "Canada Day holds different meaning for different communities ... We encourage all who are celebrating on Canada Day to pause and reflect on both truth and reconciliation and the long-lasting impacts of residential schools on Indigenous communities across Turtle Island."