'We are all together': Indigenous group leads solidarity march in Wendake before Pope's arrival in Quebec

About 200 people marched in the Wendake community Tuesday ahead of Pope Francis' visit to Quebec in a show of solidarity with residential school survivors and as a reminder that the papal visit is not a celebratory one.

"The message we want to [send] is that we are all together — the First Nations — tonight," said Huron-Wendat Grand Chief Rémy Vincent ahead of the 1-kilometre march through the Indigenous territory near Quebec City.

"This is for the support of the First Nations, all the First Nations who are going to be here. All the people who are going to be here are [here] for the support of the survivors. This is the goal of the walk tonight."

The Pope's visit is bringing a mixed bag of emotions for Indigenous Peoples in Canada. On Monday, the pontiff delivered a formal apology during a visit near Edmonton for the role of the Catholic Church in Canada's residential school system and the years of abuse suffered by First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities.

While the historic apology at the site of a former residential school brought a sense of relief for some, for others it brought back horrific memories of trauma. Even as his six-day tour aims to promote reconciliation, some Indigenous leaders are choosing not to attend the Pope's visit and to instead focus on healing.

With the Pope set to arrive in Quebec on Wednesday, Vincent said he hopes he will repeat his apology during his visit in the region.

Huron-Wendat members in Wendake join Puamum Meshkanu. To walk to the Plains of Abraham tomorrow for #PapalVisit2022 @CTVMontreal pic.twitter.com/idcGlIS6Cd

— Daniel Rowe (@DanielJRowe42) July 26, 2022

Yves Sioui, a 57-year-old Huron-Wendat, joined the march in solidarity with the survivors of residential schools and those who died. Sioui, who attended Indian day school in Wendake, told CTV News the Pope's apology on Indigenous territory earlier this week is a step in the right direction.

"I think it's a very good thing for our people, for us," Sioui said. "For him to walk in the Indian land it's a very good thing as far as I'm concerned. I listen to what he had to say, and I thought it was pretty sincere."

Day schools, like residential schools, were run by the church with a goal of assimilation, but they existed in Indigenous communities.

Among the crowd on Tuesday was Gérard Deltell, the Conservative MP for Louis-Saint-Laurent, whose riding includes the Wendake territory.

Calling the apology a "very important" gesture, he said, "nothing can erase the tragedy" of residential schools.

"We always have to remind that our country was everything but perfect in that time. What was done was totally unacceptable, totally irresponsible and to see the pope today recognize it, coming here to apologize, I think it's one of the greatest moments we can see from the Catholic Church," he said.

Wendake members also joined another Indigenous group that embarked on a 275-kilometre journey from northern Quebec to see the Pope in Quebec City. That group started what they described as a "healing march" from the former Pointe-Bleu residential school, near Saguenay, Que., which was the last residential school to close in Quebec, in 1991. 

They met members of the public in Wendake before they finish the last 15 kilometres of their journey Wednesday to the Plains of Abraham in Quebec City in time for the Pope's arrival.

About 160,000 Indigenous and non-Indigenous people are expected to gather at the Plains of Abraham to watch Pope Francis' address. The site will welcome people on a first-come-first-served basis. 

With files from CTV News Montreal's Daniel J. Rowe

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If you are a former residential school survivor in distress, or have been affected by the residential school system and need help, you can contact the 24-hour Indian Residential Schools Crisis Line: 1-866-925-4419

Additional mental-health support and resources for Indigenous people are available here.