Yes, the Kamloops “discovery” deserves to be called a hoax

Please find on the other side of the paywall, four opinion pieces about the use of the term “hoax” to describe the assertion that the remains of 215 children lie buried beside the Kamloops Indian Residential School in British Columbia they attended.

The first piece, published on July 26, 2024, was written by Joseph Quesnel, an indigenous writer and activist who argues the term “hoax” should not be used. This is because doing so causes hurt feelings among aboriginal people who attended Canada’s Indian Residential Schools:

One cannot repeat the unproven claim children’s graves had been uncovered in Kamloops. I would say it is equally wrong to describe this discovery as a “lie” or a “hoax.” I would argue those terms connote malice and deliberate obfuscation, which has not been proven either.

Brian Giesbrecht, yours truly, and Cory Morgan published the three other pieces on July 30, August 2, and August 4, respectively. Each author took issue with Quesnel’s assertions.

Readers are free to make up their own minds on this issue and are invited to post their comments below.