Indigenous Peoples grapple with claims downplaying the history of residential schoolsGetting your Trinity Audio player ready...OTTAWA — As Indigenous Peoples marked the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation this week, they also had to confront a persistent problem: public figures claiming the history of residential schools has been exaggerated or falsified. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission, mandated out of a legal settlement between the federal government and survivors of residential schools, concluded the goal of the schools was to erase Indigenous cultures. The weeks leading up to Sept. 30 this year saw some prominent individuals and political figures issue online posts and statements downplaying or denying the history of residential schools. We need to honour them.”Marc Miller, former minister of Crown-Indigenous relations, said 2021 was the moment when many Canadians were first made aware of the history of residential schools. It’s a painful realization for a country like Canada to come to.”Miller recalled stories survivors told him that illuminated the horrors of the institutions.