(OTTAWA) The federal government raised the Survivor Flag on Parliament Hill on Monday to honor Indigenous people affected by Canada’s residential school system.
Updated yesterday at 5:00 p.m.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was joined by Director of the National Center for Truth and Reconciliation Stephanie Scott, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations Marc Miller, Minister of Northern Affairs Dan Vandal and residential school survivors from across the country.
Several residential school survivors have spoken of the significance of the flag, including Jimmy Durocher, a Métis survivor who attended St. Bruno residential school in Île-à-la-Crosse, Saskatchewan.
“Today, we raise the flag of survivors high over these colonial buildings, where lawmakers are now listening to our truths and seeking to work together toward reconciliation,” Mr. Durocher testified.
In his remarks, Mr.me Scott asked elected officials to take the time to pause from their work when they see the flag.
“Pause and reflect on the truth that remains to be told and the hard work that remains to be done,” Mr.me Scott.
Trudeau called residential schools a “shameful chapter” in Canadian history and said the survivors’ flag would help Canadians remember what happened in government-funded, government-run institutions. church for more than a century.
“This flag is an expression of remembrance,” said Mr. Trudeau. It is intended to honor all survivors and all lives across generations who have been, are, and will continue to be impacted by the residential school system. »
The flag was designed in consultation and collaboration with survivors, with every element of the design having been approved by the consulted group.
Elements include a portrait of a family with seeds below representing the spirits of children who never returned home.
Eugene Arcand, a Cree survivor who attended St. Michael’s Residential School in Duck Lake, Saskatchewan, spoke of the shared responsibility of Canadians in continuing reconciliation efforts and urged people to get to know the survivors.
“There are not many of us left,” noted Mr. Arcand. Take the opportunity to meet us. Know who we are. »
Last year, ground-penetrating radar located what are believed to be hundreds of unmarked graves on the grounds of former boarding schools, sparking efforts to remember survivors.
The flag will remain flown on Parliament Hill until 2024, when a decision will be made on its permanent location.
The National Indian Residential Schools Resolution Crisis Line, which provides emotional support and crisis intervention services to survivors and their families, can be reached toll-free at 1-866-925-4419 .