Justin Trudeau: "July 1 is not yet a day to celebrate"
Thousands of people showed up at a rally calling for Canada Day to be cancelled on Parliament Hill.
A sea of orange shirts replaced the usual red and white on Parliament Hill and in downtown Ottawa on July 1 as thousands called for "Canada Day to be cancelled" following the recent discovery of unmarked graves at three former boarding schools. Thousands shouted "Shame on Canada," "No pride in genocide," and "Bring them home!" as they marched on the Hill.
In memory of the dead
On Thursday, Indigenous people from the Algonquin Anisinaabe Tribe of Canada and the Indigenous human rights group No Inaction organized the #CancelCanadaDay march ("Cancel Canada Day"). Those in attendance marched from the Department of Indigenous Services Canada building in Gatineau to Parliament Hill. On their website, human rights activists from No Action alerted that such a march was needed to "honour all those who died in the Canadian state."
"We will not celebrate Canada's ongoing genocide against Indigenous peoples," their same statement on Facebook reads. — Instead, we will gather to honour all the lives lost in the Canadian state, including the many lives blighted in residential schools."
The elders and survivors of the boarding schools began their presentation with prayer.
Addressing the gathering, Elder Claudette Commanda said she was happy to see everyone who came to the march dressed in orange. She also said that if Canada is to remain true to its policy of reconciliation, it must reconcile not with individual corporations, but with indigenous peoples and nations.
In the speeches of other speakers it sounded that today was not a day of celebration in Canada, but a day of reflection on what happened, because the graves of the nameless children in the former boarding schools were not forgotten.
In recognition of the discovery of the remains of children in residential schools in Saskatchewan and British Columbia, the Canadian flag continues to fly on the Peace Tower. National flags are flown at half-staff in Ottawa and other cities across the country.
After discovering 751 unmarked graves, Saskatchewan opened a public memorial on Parliament Hill in front of the Centennial Flame that includes shoes, stuffed animals and messages honouring the dead.
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Canada Day events are cancelled in Ottawa for the second year in a row due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. Canadian Heritage is throwing a virtual Canada Day celebration at 8 p.m. instead of the usual giant show on Parliament Hill and in Majors Hill Park.
Canada Day on behalf of officials
In his Canada Day statement, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau acknowledged that July 1 is "not yet a day of celebration" and urged Canadians to be honest about their past:
"The horrific discovery of the remains of hundreds of children at former residential schools in British Columbia and Saskatchewan has rightly caused us to reflect on the historical failures of our country and the injustices that still exist towards Indigenous people and everyone else in Canada."
On Wednesday, Metropolitan Mayor Jim Watson urged Ottawa residents to celebrate what unites the country and consider how to collectively put the nationwide idea of reconciliation into practice. "While I look forward to celebrating our national holiday with more residents next year, it is more appropriate than ever to take the time and work to co-create a policy of reconciliation." The mayor also added: "it is time to recognise that our country's past customs have damaged too many generations of Indigenous, Inuit and Métis people."
Closed in solidarity
Some businesses in Ottawa decided to stay closed for Canada Day after the discovery of unmarked graves out of respect for Indigenous people.
"On Canada Day, we come together to celebrate Canada as one of the best and greatest countries on earth. But truly being the best and greatest country means acknowledging the brutal facts of our past and present," The Merry Dairy said in a Twitter post from June 1. — Each of us needs to do our part to redeem ourselves, reconcile and live together as people who deserve respect and dignity."
