Canadian flag flying in Victoria B.C. The federal government has ordered all flags lowered to honour the children found buried at a Kamloops residential school in May 2021. Photo by: Michal Klajban
TORONTO — Flags on federal buildings will be lowered for the 215 children whose bodies were found at a former British Columbia residential school, the prime minister said Sunday as communities across Canada began mounting their own tributes to the students.
Justin Trudeau said on social media his request includes the Peace Tower flag. It comes as some called for a national day of mourning.
"To honour the 215 children whose lives were taken at the former Kamloops residential school and all Indigenous children who never made it home, the survivors, and their families, I have asked that the Peace Tower flag and flags on all federal buildings be flown at half-mast," Trudeau said in a statement.