Indigenous Services minister attends funeral at site of mass killing in Saskatchewan

JAMES SMITH CREE NATION – The federal minister of Indigenous Services is speaking out after visiting the site of a mass killing in Saskatchewan.

Patty Hajdu attended the funeral Tuesday of one of the victims of the stabbings at James Smith Cree Nation, northeast of Saskatoon.

The series of stabbings on the Labour Day weekend left 10 people dead and 18 injured on the First Nation and in the nearby village of Weldon.

Two suspects, brothers Myles and Damien Sanderson, also died.

Hajdu says in a statement that it was very important to be in the James Smith Cree Nation community as they laid to rest a beloved community member.

She says the community is grappling with the immense loss of so many people, and it was moving to see the outpouring of compassion from across the country.

“The federal government will be there to support the community as they continue their healing journey,” Hajdu said. “As they’ve told me today, they remain ‘#JamesSmithCreeNationStrong.’”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2022.

Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version had the placeline James Bay Cree Nation.