Skip to content

National Day of Truth and Reconciliation Honours Residential School Survivors

Leonard Sumner's powerful performance highlights the importance of remembrance. But for some, like Fay-Lisa Gagné, the word 'reconciliation' rings hollow.

In this picture, we see the poster containing the college of the cartoons. We see some text written...
In this picture, we see the poster containing the college of the cartoons. We see some text written on this poster.

National Day of Truth and Reconciliation Honours Residential School Survivors

Today marks the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation, a day established in 2021 to acknowledge the dark legacy of residential schools and honour the survivors. Leonard Sumner, a singer from Little Saskatchewan First Nation, performed at the gathering, emphasizing the importance of remembering the children who were taken from their families.

The residential school system, which operated from 1857 to 1996, was designed to assimilate Indigenous peoples. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada labeled it 'cultural genocide' in its 2015 final report. Over 150,000 Indigenous children were forced to attend these schools, where they often faced abuse, inadequate living conditions, and high infection rates.

Kevin Deer, an elder from Kahnawake, finds hope in learning from this suffering. He hopes for a better future for Indigenous children. However, Fay-Lisa Gagné from Muskowekwan First Nation expresses skepticism towards the word 'reconciliation'. Her mother attended a residential school, and her siblings were victims of the '60s Scoop, where Indigenous children were removed from their homes and placed with non-Indigenous families. Indigenous children in Canada continue to be overrepresented in the child protection system, with rates six to eight times higher than non-Indigenous children.

The National Day of Truth and Reconciliation serves as a reminder of the past and a call to action for the future. It is a time to honour the survivors, remember the children who were taken, and work towards a better, more equitable future for Indigenous peoples in Canada.

Read also:

Latest