The smell of sage and sweetgrass hung in the air Monday during a somber ceremony in Ottawa to reflect on the legacy of residential schools and remember those who survived — and the thousands who did not .
Amid the most difficult moments of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation ceremony on Parliament Hill, there were some moments of levity and celebration.
The dignitaries and children got up and started dancing. Ribboned skirts twirled and orange sweaters flowed through the crowds in the warmth of a late September sun.
Governor General Mary Simon, her orange sweater visible under a black pantsuit, applauded amid a circle of dancing people.
Immigration Minister Marc Miller received a hand drum from a woman in the crowd and began playing.
“I learned something as [ancien] Minister of Aboriginal Affairs for the last four years and that is to not deny anything to Aboriginal women who are around 55, 60 years old who are telling you to do something,” Mr. Miller said after the ceremony ended.
More than 150,000 children were forced to attend residential schools, and many survivors described the horrific abuse they suffered at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
An estimated 6,000 children died while attending these schools, although experts say the real number could be much higher.
Ceremonies across the country
The ceremony was one of several held across Canada to mark the day that officially began in 2021, responding to one of the calls to action in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission report.
Orange sweaters have become a symbol of reconciliation, inspired by the story of Phyllis Jack Webstad, a residential school survivor, who described having a new orange sweater taken from her on her first day at residential school.
“The residential school system was designed to destroy us, and they failed,” said Stephanie Scott, executive director of the National Center for Truth and Reconciliation, to loud applause in Ottawa.
“Our children suffered in these institutions, and to this day their spirits call on us all to remember and honor. »
Mme Scott spoke about the importance of believing survivors, noting that his inbox is often filled with people who try to discredit survivors’ stories.
“Denial is disgusting and discouraging. And I hope that these people who deny the existence of residential schools will one day educate themselves,” she explained.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau traveled to Inuvik, Northwest Territories, to participate in events. He signed an agreement on child and family services with the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation.
At a local community celebration, he told the crowd that the 10-year, $500 million deal will ensure children are protected.
Mr. Trudeau said the previous Conservative government of Stephen Harper, whose government apologized to former students of the residential school system in 2008, “didn’t really do much in the way of reconciliation.”
He said his Liberal government signed historic agreements and announced investments and partnerships with Indigenous people, and the work is changing the country for the better.
“The true path to reconciliation will take decades,” Justin Trudeau said.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre attended another event with Indigenous leaders and, in a statement, recalled the “dark history of government overreach” that has caused lasting suffering to Indigenous communities.
“Indigenous peoples must have the freedom to determine their future, preserve their languages, develop their resources, use their talents and celebrate their cultures,” he said. With a new approach and the unparalleled resilience of Indigenous peoples, Canada can achieve reconciliation and a better future for all. »
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh marked the day in Thunder Bay, Ontario, during the “Honoring Our Children” run. He also attended a feast at Fort William First Nation.
“Reconciliation is not a question of politics, it is a question of justice,” Mr. Singh said in a social media post. As a country, we must take responsibility and act. »
“Still a lot to do”
In Fredericton, Amanda Myran Dakota of Wolastoqey First Nation sat with elders holding a drum, which she then played during a ceremony.
“Since the creation of the Day of Truth and Reconciliation,” she said, “there have been some small steps, but there is still much to do.”
The number of Indigenous children in foster care is equivalent to a “modern day residential school”, she added.
Na’kuset, executive director of the Native Women’s Shelter of Montreal and organizer of a ceremony in the Quebec metropolis, said she hoped to see more young people get involved in the movement.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission report has been around for almost a decade, she said, but only 11 of its 94 calls to action have been implemented.
“So who is going to do it if the adults of today, the current government, are not going to implement them? We hope the next generation will do it,” she said.
Noella Mckenzie, an Innu elder and residential school survivor, said she came for the same reason as others.
“Together we are stronger,” said M.me McKenzie. I spent 10 years in a boarding school […] I told myself that we must always give our children hope for the future, so that they know what we have been through. »
Sarita Censoni attended a ceremony at Toronto’s Nathan Phillips Square with a friend.
“This is the time for us to heal, to help our indigenous communities, to move forward, to understand that there is no truth without reconciliation,” she said.
Riscylla Shaw, granddaughter of a residential school survivor, called the residential school system a painful part of the country’s history — and its present.
“It is a very painful aspect of today’s way of life that so many indigenous communities do not have clean water, do not have access to health resources, educational resources, fresh food,” he said. -she declared.
In British Columbia, where a provincial election campaign is underway, major party leaders turned their attention to the day from a political angle.
NDP Leader David Eby took his family, all dressed in orange, to a ceremony at the University of British Columbia.
British Columbia Conservative Party Leader John Rustad said if his party is elected, he would partner with First Nations to find prosperity through resource projects. He previously pledged to repeal the law over B.C.’s adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.