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Today (Thursday) is National Day of Truth and Reconciliation.
The day honours the lost children and survivors of residential schools, and declared a federal holiday earlier this year.
Brenda Gunn with the National Centre For Truth and Reconciliation in Winnipeg says it’s important to use it as a time of reflection.
The statutory holiday was one of the recommendations made by the National Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
The day also coincides with Orange Shirt Day which was created eight years to raise further awareness about the impact of residential schools.
Gunn says, “It’s important to set aside a moment to reflect on the harms inflected by colonialism and residential schools that were for a very long time out of sight and out of mind.”
Kenora MP Eric Melillo stresses today is an important beginning.
“On this National Day for Truth and Reconciliation we honour the victims of residential schools including the children who never returned home, the adults who still live with scars, and the descendants who struggle with inter-generational trauma.”
Melillo adds, “On this day, as we should every day, we re-commit ourselves to reconciliation and to working together in order to secure a just and prosperous future for Indigenous peoples across the country.”
(With Files From Randy Thoms: Fort Frances)
