'It's overwhelming:' Residential school victims commemorated in Montreal march
Thousands of people marched through Montreal on Thursday, one of many such demonstrations across Canada in honour of the victims of the country's residential school system.
The marches come on Canada Day and in the wake of the recent discovery of numerous mass grave sites containing the remains of Indigenous children on the sites where some residential schools once stood. The remains of over 1,000 children were recently found in unmarked graves in British Columbia and Saskatchewan.
"I think it affects everyone when you hear about 751 children in a mass grave in Saskatchewan. It's overwhelming," said Native Women's Shelter of Montreal director Nakuset, who organized the Montreal march.
A woman is consoled during a gathering and march to honour Indigenous children, denounce genocide and demand justice for residential school victims in Montreal, Thursday, July 1, 2021.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes
A woman is consoled during a gathering and march to honour Indigenous children, denounce genocide and demand justice for residential school victims in Montreal, Thursday, July 1, 2021.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes
Over 100,000 Indigenous children were sent to residential schools before the last one closed in 1996. The schools were established as a way to strip Indigenous children of their cultures and languages and many who were sent there suffered physical, emotional, mental and sexual abuse.
As people, many dressed in orange, gathered at the park at the base of Mount Royal, songs were sung in those languages that were once forbidden.
In recent weeks, #CancelCanadaDay has trended on Twitter as Indigenous communities and advocates have called for annual celebrations to be replaced by a day of mourning and reflection.
"These mass graves happened all throughout Canada," said Nakuset. "I think it's devestating for us, but it's devestating to Canadians in general."
The march wound its way to Place du Canada, where a statue of Sir John A. Macdonald, Canada's first prime minister and an architect of the residential school system, stood until it was toppled by protesters last year.
"There were people who didn't understand us and wanted to eliminate us," said Kahnawake resident Ka'Nahsohon Deer. "Sorry to say that as long as the wind blows and the grass grows and the water flows, we will always be here."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Slovakia's populist prime minister shot in assassination attempt, shocking Europe before elections
The Slovak defence minister says doctors are fighting for the life of the country's prime minister, who was shot multiple times after a political event Wednesday afternoon.
Transport Canada's UFO 'lead' planned to meet with U.S. intel officials, called info requests a 'wild goose chase'
Canada's transportation department had a UFO 'lead' who tried to 'quell' media interest and planned to meet with U.S. intelligence officials.
'Very expensive lunch': Sask. driver handed a cell phone ticket for using points app in McDonald's drive-thru
A warning from a Saskatoon driver about using your fast-food app while in the drive-thru line — a trip to get some free lunch cost him a lot more than he bargained for.
'The Fly' has become notorious in France after a brazen escape. What's his criminal history?
A prisoner nicknamed “The Fly” has become notorious in France overnight after a daring and bloody escape from a prison convoy in Normandy that left two guards dead.
BREAKING Ontario's 'Crypto King' Aiden Pleterski arrested
Aiden Pleterski, the self-proclaimed 'crypto king' from Whitby, Ont., has been arrested in Durham Region after allegedly running a Ponzi scheme worth more than $40 million.
BREAKING Barge hits a bridge in Texas, damaging the structure and causing an oil spill
A barge slammed into a bridge pillar in Galveston, Texas, on Wednesday, spilling oil into surrounding waters and closing the only road to a smaller and separate island that is home to a university, officials said. There were no immediate reports of injuries.
Person responsible for 1996 drugging of 'Titanic' crew likely not a local: Halifax police
Halifax Regional Police believe a non-resident could be responsible for the infamous drugging of numerous crew members of the 'Titanic' movie with a hallucinogenic in 1996.
Latest updates on the biggest wildfires burning in Canada
Thousands of people in Western Canada remain displaced from their homes as wildfires threaten their communities, triggering evacuation orders and alerts.
OPINION If you think you can’t focus for long, you’re right: Sandee LaMotte
Regaining your focus requires you to be mindful of how you are using technology -- a daunting task if you consider the average American spends at least 10 hours a day on screens.