The media, politicians and academics uncritically accepted the story. The New York Times even amplified it by talking about a “mass burial site,” making it sound like the result of a civil war. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau ordered the Canadian flag to be flown at half-mast at federal buildings for nearly six months, an unprecedented display of public mourning. MP Leah Gazan persuaded the House of Commons to vote that Indian residential schools constituted genocide. The resolution had no legal effect, but the impact on public opinion was substantial.
