In May 2021, Trudeau led the national mourning after reports emerged that the remains of 215 Indigenous children had been discovered in unmarked graves at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School. Trudeau ordered the Canadian flag to be flown at half-mast for nearly six months—the longest period in history—while politicians, activists, and the media rushed to label the finding as proof of Canada’s “genocide” against Indigenous peoples. Billions in taxpayer dollars were pledged for reconciliation efforts, and Canada’s global reputation took a hit.