SAEDNEWS: A spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry has criticized Canada over its treatment of Indigenous children, stressing that reconciliation cannot be reduced to a commemorative day or political rhetoric.
According to Saednews, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Canada’s efforts toward truth and reconciliation must include greater transparency and accountability regarding the country’s former residential school system.
In a post on X on Friday, Baghaei referred to Indigenous children who were separated from their families and subjected to forced assimilation, saying many experienced abuse and neglect, while others died away from their homes and were buried in unmarked graves.
He noted that September 30 is Canada’s National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, established to honor residential school survivors and their families and remember Indigenous children who never returned home.
However, Baghaei argued that reconciliation should not be limited to commemorative events or political statements.
“When serious questions remain unanswered and the history of residential schools is contested or obscured, reconciliation remains incomplete,” he wrote, calling for evidence, transparency and an examination of the historical record concerning unmarked graves.
He concluded that truth and accountability are essential elements of meaningful reconciliation.
