The roads of downtown Montreal filled the sound of drums, mantras and maps on Tuesday, as people gathered for every child, a powerful performance on March – National Day for Truth and Recalls.
The march began with a pre-monument at the George-Partine Cartier Memorial at Parc Du Mont-Royal. There, indigenous voices led the songs, shared stories, and called children who never returned home from Canada’s residential school system.
Participants Parc Ave., Sherbrooke St. And mansfield st. The place through the city went before Du ended in Canada. The fifth year Montreal has formally recognized this day with a public march.
‘This is the day of remembrance’
The march respects the memory of indigenous children who were taken from their families and kept in residential schools. These institutes – Canadian -formed by the government and run by churches on a large scale – aimed to eradicate indigenous languages, cultures and identities.
Many children faced abuse. Many people died. Those who survived, they changed forever – and generations live with that trauma today.
NA’Kuset, Executive Director of Montreal’s original female shelter, said such incidents are important.
“Everything you find in history books is hardly anything,” he said. “I think people know to come out in large numbers, you know, it shows that you are with us and then the messages you hear are excellent, so it is better than knowing the education system by you.”
“It’s not that it is a fun time,” he said. “But I think it is a day of remembrance by coming together and the day to show respect.”
NA’KUSET said that the ongoing discovery of graves on former residential school sites suggest that the system is not in the past.
“There are large -scale graves, okay? This is an issue that is still going on. They are still found in some residential schools. We are still trying to find out who the family are, who are these children,” she said.
‘Government should be here’
While the federal government recognizes September 30 as a statutory holiday, does not cube – one decision NA’Kuset and others say the wrong message sends.
“Okay, they should be here. All of them should be here, right?” He said. “I know that the government is currently meeting with all other politicians in the National Assembly. Why will they do this on 30 September?”
He said, “They should stand with us and he should hear what our survivor has to share, what our alder has to share, what other speakers have to share,” he said.
Took a symbol – and received
The orange sea was not just symbolic throughout the March – it used to carry forward intensive personal meaning.
The orange shirt comes from the story of a young girl, whose shirt – a gift from her grandmother – she was taken in a residential school on the first day. It has become a national symbol of small work resistance and existence.
“We are here due to the fact of flexibility that the young girl wanted to wear it and what she could wear,” said every child’s MC of March. “And also what she was standing, who wanted to live with her people, wanted to live with her culture.”
Delicle, who is seductive and a residential school is the grandson of the survivor, said the day is personal for them – and for many.
He said, “It is important to resume my grandparents’ stories, which passed through this struggle, who fought a tough fight for my identity, my language and my culture,” he said. “We stand here not only as the remaining, but also as storytellers for our struggle.”
He said that awareness has increased in recent years, words of sorrow and responsibility still matter.
“I think the first thing is what the government did to us, the church did to us,” he said. “We have brought awareness, now it is up to them that we ask to bring the last chapter into a close.
‘At least I could have done’
This day attracted the attendees for the first time like Anthony McCall, who said that he had come to know and support more.
“Sadly, it is a very deep part of our Canadian history and is an important issue,” he said. “So, you know, I can do best to show my support and join it and just make more people aware of what has happened.”
“By coming here, I can just minimize to help you spread the word about this issue.”
‘Sometimes it is as simple as’
As people gathered in reflection and solidarity, the organizers said that the truth should be released-only survived and their families, but also from institutions.
“I think the first thing is what the government did to us, the church did it to us,” said delisel. “We have brought awareness, now it is over them that we ask to bring the last chapter into a close.”
“Sometimes it is as simple as.”