Calls to cancel Canada Day celebrations grow as Indigenous communities grieve mass grave discoveries
As Canada Day approaches, there are growing calls to cancel celebrations following the discovery of multiple mass graves containing the remains of residential school victims.
Already, there are plans for marches across the country and flags will be flown at half mast.
“It really resonates with Indigenous and non-Indigenous people, about all these children that were found buried in these mass graves,” said Nakuset, director of the Native Women's Shelter of Montreal and organizer of the city's march. “It was hidden and supposed to be kept secret. I think it almost comes in waves where you hear about what happened in Kamloops. You're devastated and you grieve and start to move forward and then it's the next wave.”
The Montreal march will start at Jeanne-Mance Park at 2 p.m. and already, thousands have announced their intention to attend. The path will lead to Place du Canada, where until recently a statue of Sir John A. Macdonald stood. The likeness of Macdonald, Canada's first prime minister and an architect of the residential school system that saw Indigenous children stolen away from their families, was toppled by protesters in August.
On Friday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canada Day this year should be a day of reflection, rather than fireworks. But on Tourism Montreal's website, fireworks in the Old Port are still on the agenda for July 1.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Parents of infant who died in wrong-way crash on Ontario's Hwy. 401 were in same vehicle
Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit has released new details about a wrong-way collision in Whitby on Monday night that claimed the lives of four people.
Loblaw leaders call criticism 'misguided,' say they aren't to blame for high food prices
Loblaw chairman Galen Weston and the company's new CEO are pushing back against critics who blame the grocery giant for soaring food prices, as a month-long boycott of the retailer gets underway.
Three Quebec men from same family father hundreds of children
Three men in Quebec from the same family have fathered more than 600 children.
B.C. mayor stripped of budget, barred from committees over Indigenous residential schools book
A British Columbia mayor has been censured by city council – stripping him of his travel and lobbying budgets and removing him from city committees – for allegedly distributing a book that questions the history of Indigenous residential schools in Canada.
'Giant-killer' Kazushi Kimura to race in Kentucky Derby this weekend: 'I'm representing Canada and Japan'
Six years ago, at age 18, Kazushi Kimura left his home and family behind in Hokkaido, Japan to chase a dream. This weekend, he'll ride in the Kentucky Derby.
'What have we done?' Lawyer describes shock at possible role in Trump's 2016 victory
A lawyer who negotiated a pair of hush money deals at the centre of Donald Trump's criminal trial recalled Thursday his "gallows humor" reaction to Trump's 2016 election victory and the realization that his hidden-hand efforts might have contributed to the win.
Orangutan observed treating wound using medicinal plant in world first
Scientists working in Indonesia have observed an orangutan intentionally treating a wound on their face with a medicinal plant, the first time this behavior has been documented.
Quebec premier asks police to dismantle camp at McGill University
Quebec Premier Francois Legault has called on the police to dismantle the pro-Palestinian protest encampment on the lower field of McGill University's downtown campus in Montreal.
TD Bank hit with $9.2M penalty after failing to report suspicious transactions
Canada’s financial-crime watchdog has levied a $9.2-million penalty against The Toronto-Dominion Bank for non-compliance with money laundering and terrorist financing measures as the bank also faces compliance investigations in the U.S.