Waves of orange convened on the green grass before the Kiwanis Bandstand at North Bay’s Waterfront this morning to commemorate the fourth National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
“In residential schools, it was only Native children who had to go,” Judy Couchie reminded the crowd, “and they wanted to erase all of our history out of us.” Couchie, from Nipissing First Nation, was at the Shingwauk Residential School, which is now Algoma University in Sault Ste. Marie.
“People don’t really understand the trauma that a lot of our survivors have,” Couchie noted. “Some have not survived, some lost themselves to the streets. I’m fortunate, because once I identified what I was through, I took counselling for 12 years to get through this.”
“There are times when I still have to call a councillor,” she continued, “but I know I’m a survivor, and I know I’m strong, and I want all of our people to be strong and keep telling the stories,” of residential schools in Canada.
See: Students honour National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
Of the hundreds who attended today’s event, most wore an orange shirt to acknowledge and honour those children forced into Indian Residential Schools. Today marked the inaugural Every Child Matters Walk, hosted by The North Bay Indigenous Friendship Centre, the Indigenous Hub and the Anishinaabek Nation, and participants met at the bandstand for opening remarks before marching down Memorial Drive to Amelia Park. Afterwards, a lunch and ceremony were held at the Indigenous Hub.
“It’s great looking out there and seeing this sea of orange,” said Cathy Fortin, the Executive Director of the North Bay Indigenous Friendship Centre. “Today’s a day to remember,” she said, “to remember those who didn’t make it home, but also remembering the ones who did make it home but are still suffering from the traumas of the past.”
“Today is a day to remember how resilient we are as Anishinaabe people,” Fortin said. “Today’s also a day to remind our government that there are still more of the 94 calls of action to take place.” She also emphasized that our country needs “to ensure that our languages and our culture is seen as it is today.”
Residential schools “are a very somber, very sad part of our history,” noted MP Athony Rota, “a part that tore children away from their parents. A part that tried to wipe out a group of people.”
“That’s something that’s unacceptable,” Rota continued, “but it is part of our history, and we have to recognize it.” He added that “today’s a day that we acknowledge what has happened, we remember what has happened,” and he urged people to carry the spirit of the day “every day of the year.”
“And remember, these are truths for many people, and all of us as a Nation, and as individuals,” Rota said.
North Bay’s Mayor Peter Chirico also spoke, emphasizing the day “is about healing, and moving forward.”
Linda Debassige, the Grand Chief of Anishinabek Nation, detailed how at the Anishinabek Nation “we are working closely with many of our First Nations in our territory doing the sacred work of helping to find our disappeared children and to uncover the truth, and share that truth with all of us.”
See: Anishinabek Nation leadership seek greater implementation of Ipperwash Inquiry recommendations
Maurice Switzer, President of the Board of Directors for the North Bay Indigenous Friendship Centre, reflected upon a recent stroll around Duchesnay Falls, drawing a parallel between that time in the forest and today’s event.
He noted the pine needles covering the ground – orange hued in sun – and the many leaves showing signs of orange with Fall’s embrace. “Those trees,” he reminded the crowd, “are not dying. “They’re signifying a great change.”
“And in the spring, those trees are going to burst with green energy,” he said, “and First Peoples are not a dying race, either, despite attempts in Canada’s earlier days to make us disappear. As a matter of fact, we’re thriving more than ever.”
“I like to tell young Indigenous boys and girls that there’s nothing they can’t achieve, despite what’s happened in the past. There have even been two Indigenous astronauts,” Switzer continued, “so even the sky isn’t the limit anymore.”
David Briggs is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of BayToday, a publication of Village Media. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.
