Canada marks 2nd annual National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
Posted September 30, 2022 6:51 am.
Last Updated September 30, 2022 9:10 am.
Ceremonies, marches and other gatherings are scheduled across Canada for the second annual National Day of Truth and Reconciliation.
The federal statutory holiday was established last year following the discovery of suspected unmarked burial sites at former residential schools.
Assembly of First Nations National Chief RoseAnne Archibald says the day is an opportunity to pause and reflect on the impact of the schools on Indigenous Peoples and the roles the institutions played in Canada’s history.
Related:
Every Child Matters: second annual Montreal march for National Day of Truth and Reconciliation
The continuing search for missing children and unmarked graves
Marc Miller, federal Crown-Indigenous relations minister, says the government is committed to ensuring reconciliation remains entrenched in Canada’s daily and long-term goals.
Some of the events scheduled today include the illumination of the Peace Tower on Parliament Hill in orange, programming about residential schools at the Winnipeg Art Gallery and a community powwow at the Victoria-area Songhees Nation.
Linc Kesler, a residential school and Indigenous identity expert at the University of British Columbia, says the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation helps bring Indigenous issues to the forefront for Canadians.
“As to what Canadians will make of all of that, I don’t know,” he said. “I know what I hope they would make of it and it would be they would become more aware of how much they haven’t known in the past.”
In Quebec, National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is not considered a statutory holiday however there are still events you can attend.
Starting at 1 p.m. Friday, you can participate in the Every Child Matters March which starts at Mount Royal Park.
There is also the “We Will Walk Together/Skàtne Entewathahìta” outdoor ceremony at 3700 rue McTavish from 10 a.m to 12 p.m.
