Buffy Sainte-Marie called for “compassion” while shining a spotlight on the Indigenous community during the 2021 Juno Awards on Sunday night.
The singer and activist used Canada’s biggest night in music as a platform to address the 215 children who were recently found buried in an unmarked mass grave at a former Kamloops, B.C., residential school.
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While news from Kamloops might be “shocking to some people and a revelation”, the 80-year-old star noted that it is not surprising to Indigenous people.
“The genocide basic to this country’s birth is ongoing, and we need to face it together,” she said. “And I ask for your compassion.”
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The remains were discovered by the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc using ground-penetrating radar, confirming what many local Indigenous people had said for years.
The National Truth and Reconciliation Commission has records of at least 51 children dying at the school between 1915 and 1963.
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The 50th Juno Awards also includes performances from Justin Bieber, Jessie Reyez, The Tragically Hip and a special celebration of 30 years of Rap at the Junos with Jully Black, Kardinal Offishall and more.
You can watch the show in the livestream here starting at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on June 6.
