The Permanent People’s Tribunal

on Missing Indigenous Children and Unmarked Graves

International Tribunal to Investigate Alleged Crimes Against Indigenous Children in Canada’s Residential Schools

The Native Women’s Shelter of Montreal (NWSM), in partnership with the David Suzuki Foundation and Survivor’s Secretariat, will host the Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal (PPT) on Missing Indigenous Children and Unmarked Graves in Canada, set for early 2026. NWSM is spearheading an urgent international effort to demand accountability for the alleged crimes committed against Indigenous children in Canada’s residential schools.

An international opinion tribunal, the PPT serves as a powerful grassroots justice mechanism to build global awareness, document the full scope of any crimes, and provide an international record of evidence.

For over a century, Indigenous communities have endured serious human rights violations, including ongoing systemic violence, discrimination, displacement, and cultural erasure, at the hands of the Canadian government and other institutions. Despite the impact of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the vast majority of its 94 Calls to Action listed in its 2015 report have been ignored or left unimplemented. Recent discoveries of unmarked graves at residential schools have laid bare the horrific colonial legacy of these institutions.

The NWSM is no longer asking for reconciliation — we want accountability. We are driving this call forward by hosting the Permanent People’s Tribunal, pushing for an international investigation of these alleged crimes, and providing powerful new leverage for Indigenous communities and allies working to hold the Canadian government and its institutions to justice.

"Indigenous people can no longer wait for Canada to act. Indigenous families are demanding justice, not more empty words," says Na’kuset, Executive Director of the Native Women’s Shelter of Montreal. "Our history has been minimized by the colonizer, but our truth will be told. The time for action is now, and the Permanent People’s Tribunal will be key to building a better future for the next generation.”

What’s Next:

The Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal (PPT) has sent a notification letter to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and to the Canadian Embassy in Rome, Italy, in accordance with its Statute and in compliance with the right to a fair hearing, to provide information regarding the public hearings of the Tribunal’s 57th session and the procedures for parties to participate.

The session will be held in Montreal from May 25 to 29, 2026, at the Daphne Art Centre. It was initiated at the request of the Native Women’s Shelter of Montreal and a network of researchers, activists, lawyers, and civil society organizations, and will focus on examining evidence regarding the Canadian government’s responsibility for the establishment, administration, and maintenance of the residential school system for Indigenous peoples, as well as the serious human rights violations associated with it. These violations include, but are not limited to, forced and coercive sterilizations, the disappearances and unmarked burials of Indigenous children, and intergenerational trauma linked to the loss of language, culture, and identity.

The authorities have received the indictment, which will be presented during the public hearings. The State of Canada is called upon to answer for the policies and practices adopted over time by various administrations, which, according to the indictment, constitute genocide and crimes against humanity under international law.

For more information, please contact:

info@our-truths.com