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Downtown Winnipeg was a sea of orange Monday as thousands of people marched from The Forks to the RBC Convention Centre to mark the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
Organized by the Wa-Say Healing Centre, this fourth annual healing walk brought together participants from various communities to honour the legacy of residential school survivors and the children who never returned home.
At the powwow following the march, Premier Wab Kinew led the grand entry, dressed in his regalia, symbolizing a commitment to reconciliation and remembrance.
The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is a "federal statutory holiday established to recognize the painful history and ongoing impacts of residential schools on Indigenous peoples in Canada," the federal government says on its website. Indigenous leaders and the federal government emphasize that public commemoration of this tragic history is essential to the reconciliation process, fostering healing and understanding within communities across Canada.
The day serves to honour the more than 150,000 children who were forced into these institutions, many of whom suffered horrific abuse, as detailed in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s findings. While an estimated 6,000 children died while attending these schools, experts believe the actual number is likely significantly higher.
Orange shirts have become a powerful symbol of this day, inspired by the story of residential school survivor Phyllis Jack Webstad, who had her new orange shirt taken from her on her first day at a residential school. Orange Shirt Day, an Indigenous-led grassroots initiative, promotes awareness of the intergenerational impacts of residential schools and reinforces the message that “Every Child Matters.”
The observance of both the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day highlights the collective responsibility to remember and address the injustices faced by Indigenous communities, as stated by various community leaders and advocates.