The Greater Toronto Area marked the fifth annual National Day of Truth and Reconciliation Tuesday in a variety of ways Tuesday, including flag raising, sunrise and drumming ceremonies.
The day commemorates the lives lost to Canada's government-funded, church-run residential school system and honours the survivors and communities affected by ongoing trauma.
In a news release Tuesday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Minister of Indigenous Affairs and First Nations Economic Reconciliation Greg Rickford said government buildings across the province would be lit orange.
"These stories are difficult to hear, but essential to acknowledge, as we come together on the journey of reconciliation," the dual statement read.
The federal holiday is also known as Orange Shirt Day, a tradition that began in 2013 to honour residential school survivor Phyllis Webstad, who had her orange shirt taken away on her first day at St. Joseph's Mission Residential School.
Drumming a sign of resistance, resilience
Toronto Council Fire Native Cultural Centre held a sunrise ceremony in partnership with the city at Nathan Phillips Square at 7 a.m. The annual Indigenous Legacy Gathering included remarks from Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow, a thanksgiving address by Elder Allan Jamieson and a drumming ceremony.
Kevin Myran, who teaches at the centre, said drums represent resistance and resilience to him.
"It means we resisted colonial way of life and held onto our ceremonies," he told CBC Radio's Metro Morning Tuesday.
Niigaan Sinclair, whose father Murray Sinclair delivered the final report findings of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) of Canada 10 years ago, told Metro Morning that it's important to reflect on Canada's complicated history, while recognizing the strides made in the last decade and looking ahead to the future of reconciliation.
"The generation in front of us…is the most confident generation in history. They want change happening yesterday," Sinclair said. "This is a generation that has never not talked about reconciliation."
It's important to build a country that lives up to its name of "Kanata," which means "village," added Sinclair, who is continuing his father's legacy through his work as an Anishinaabe writer and as a professor at the University of Manitoba.
"Get together with people who don't think the same way, vote the same way, act the same way and try to move together…spend time learning from each other," he said.
WATCH | Future generations mark Truth and Reconciliation Day at school boards across country: How the GTA marked this year's National Day of Truth and Reconciliation Duration 2:05 Toronto marked the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation with events bringing together students, families and survivors. The day commemorates the children who died while being forced to attend church-run and government-funded residential schools, as well as survivors and communities affected by ongoing trauma. CBC’s Ali Chiasson has more.
School boards mark holiday, flag ban rescinded
The Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) and the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) held events Tuesday for students and educators to commemorate the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
The TDSB gathered in East York for a school-wide assembly Tuesday morning, where residential school survivor Karen Chaboyer discussed what the day meant to her, and the raising of the "Every Child Matters" flag. (Martin Trainor/CBC)
In North York, the TCDSB launched its board-wide Orange HeART project — which aims to relect on the TRC's 94 Calls to Action by inviting students to create artwork that reflects the significance of this day.
Elders Mark and Wendy Phillips, the Red Hawk Singers and Drummers, other Indigenous community partners and students participated in arts-based activities, ceremonies and interactive experiences.
The TDSB gathered in East York for the raising of the "Every Child Matters" flag and a school-wide assembly Tuesday morning, where residential school survivor Karen Chaboyer discussed what the day meant to her.
Kody Turner, a Métis eighth grader, says this day helps him share his culture and heritage with the school community.
"Seeing everybody wearing an orange shirt really means a lot. To me it means showing respect to Indigenous families and communities," he said.
Another GTA school board had previously banned Every Child Matters flags, prompting heavy backlash from parents and students. Dufferin-Peel Catholic School Board had banned the flags as part of an updated protocol that restricted permissible flags on school grounds to the Canadian flag, provincial and territorial flags and the school board flag.
The decision received heavy criticism and last week Ontario Education Minister Paul Calandra directed the provincially-appointed supervisor of the school board to amend its flag policy, allowing the survivors' flag to be raised at its schools on Tuesday.
[SRC] https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/gta-marks-national-day-for-truth-and-reconciliation-1.7647727
