A snapshot of National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Montreal

MONTREAL -

On Thursday, communities across the Montreal area gathered for a historic event: Canada's first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

A MARCH TO REMEMBER

Thousands of Montrealers assembled Thursday in honour of residential school victims and survivors.

In the early afternoon, an enormous crowd gathered for the "Every Child Matters" march at Place du Canada for speeches and a ceremony before making its way to Place des Arts.

The legacy of residential schools has touched the lives of countless Indigenous people across the country, one of them being marcher Malcom Weistche.

"My father was a residential school survivor," he said. "I hope people wake up and see the pain and trauma they caused First Nations in Canada."

Among the crowd was Ellen Gabriel, a Mohawk land defender who was appointed as spokesperson during the 1990 Oka Crisis.

Gabriel said the trauma experienced by children in residential schools is immeasurable.

"They never had someone to hug and hold them when they scraped their knee, they never had someone to talk to when their hands [were] held over a hot flame because they spoke their language or dared to hug a brother or sister."

A BIRTHDAY PARTY

In Kahnawake, community members attended a unique type of birthday party. 

The party was held in honour of children who were stolen from their homes and forced to attend residential schools, where birthdays weren't typically celebrated.

Party decorations included balloons arranged in a heart shape with "Konnonronhkwa" written in the middle -- the Mohawk word for "I love you."

"They didn't receive that. They didn't receive love," said event organizer Helen Jarvis Montour.

Ronald Boyer was in attendance with his wife, who he met inside a residential school over six decades ago. The pair were accompanied by their children and grandchildren.

For Boyer, his experience on Thursday was beyond words.

"I don't know what to say. All I know is it brought tears to my eyes."

A LESSON THROUGH DANCE

“I love any opportunity that I get to bring awareness and let the children know that we’re still here. A lot of children don’t understand the history of Indigenous people."

Those were the words of Don Barnaby, a Mi'kmaq dancer who paid a visit to Clearpoint Elementary School in Pointe-Claire on Thursday.

Students gathered in honour of National Truth and Reconciliation Day, which is commonly dubbed Orange Shirt Day.

Before an audience of orange-clad children, Barnaby shared aspects of Indigenous culture and history through traditional song and dance.

Barnaby is a survivor of the Sixties Scoop, a period when throngs of Indigenous children were removed from their homes and adopted out to settler families across Canada and the United States.

His mother is a residential school survivor.

"Being the child of a survivor, I wanted them to know that it's clear and present, and it wasn't something that happened a long time ago." 

With files from Lillian Roy, Ian Wood, Iman Kassam and Matt Gilmour.