Ahead of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation this Saturday, Canada Post has unveiled four new stamps to honour the survivors of residential schools.
The stamps were unveiled on Thursday at the Woodland Cultural Centre in Brantford, Ontario, established in 1972 following the closure of the Mohawk Institute Residential School.
The stamps feature archival photographs from four different residential schools, including Kamloops Residential School in Kamloops, B.C.; Île-à-la-Crosse Residential School in Île-à-la-Crosse, Sask.; Sept-Îles Residential School in Sept-Îles, Que.; and Grollier Hall in Inuvik, N.W.T.
These stamps are a reminder of the "fear, loneliness, pain, and shame" endured by generations of Indigenous children within these federally and church-established institutions, Canada Post said in a press release. “The stamp issue serves as a vehicle for truth about Canada’s residential school system to help support the process of reconciliation and, ultimately, healing.”
Canada Post states this stamp release includes an Official First Day Cover and eight permanent domestic rate stamp booklets. The cover features the Mohawk Institute in Brantford, Ontario, the first school in Canada's residential school system.
The cancellation mark from Ottawa underscores the historical significance, as it's where policies were created to forcibly separate Indigenous children from their families and communities in an assimilation effort.
