Ottawa marks National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

CTV’s Katelyn Wilson has more on how people across the capital marked the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

Across Ottawa, people are gathering to commemorate the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and honour those who were affected by residential schools.

The University of Ottawa marked the day with a ceremony at the University Square on Tuesday morning.

Sarah Fontaine-Sinclair, a second-year student at the university who spoke at today’s event, says the day is about reflecting on the past and finding paths forward.

“I think institutions really have to start prioritizing bringing young indigenous peoples into the conversation” Fontaine-Sinclair told CTV News Ottawa.

“It’s really important they start acknowledging, not just the wrongs of the past. It’s also important to acknowledge what amazing work indigenous leaders are doing today, while also acknowledging their roles within the path to reconciliation.”

Fontaine-Sinclair’s grandfather was Murray Sinclair, a lawyer, judge and senator who served as the chair of the Indian Residential Schools Truth and Reconciliation Commission from 2009 to 2015. Sinclair passed away in 2024 at the age of 73, and Fontaine-Sinclair shared a few words about her grandfather during the ceremony.

“He really inspires me; I try to live up to him every day. I try to share his story. He always wanted me to explore my creativity and I’m a music major at the University of Ottawa, so I try to look for spaces in the music world to contribute to decolonial spaces,” she said.

“I think that it was really inspiring to hear so many people talking about their grandparents and how we’re following in the footsteps of our ancestors.”

President and Vice-Chancellor at the University of Ottawa Marie-Eve Sylvestre says universities have an important role to play in reconciliation and today is a testament to that.

“For us, first of all it’s an acknowledgement of that responsibility,” Sylvestre told CTV News Ottawa.

“It’s also a statement that we take this seriously, we want to honour the past. But most importantly we want to contribute to the future. We want to build bridges with indigenous people and make sure that their knowledges, languages and culture flourish on this campus and in our programs.”

At the Canada Agriculture and Food Museum, the day was commemorated with a buffalo and moose hide scraping experience put on by the Buffalo Cultural Collective, a non-profit based out of Regina, Saskatchewan.

“We’re just hoping to provide a little bit of cultural opportunity for people coming down today,” said Jesska Surjik the educational director of Buffalo Culture Collective.

“Also, just to remind people that we all have a shared history of working with animals and turning them into tools and clothing and materials for ourselves.”

Attendees were invited to help dry scrap a buffalo hide as well as moose hide which can then be tanned and turned into either leather or rawhide to be used in clothing, tools and other instruments.

“So, we’re hoping to bring people together in that shared space. Because when we find those threads of commonality, that’s where we build from. If we’re constantly talking about the differences, we never get anywhere,” Surjik said.

Children are also encouraged to participate in the hide scraping and Surjik says the activity is a great opportunity for learning and development in young ones.

“It’s so fun, the kids get really into it,” she said.

“One of my favourite things is we can really give kids autonomy in this kind of project. We have tools that are the right size for them, we encourage them to use their strength. We’re showing them that they can do the same thing as adults and still be celebrated.”

A national commemorative gathering was held on Parliament Hill at 3 p.m.

The event began with a drum circle and words from Claudette Commanda, an Algonquin Anishinaabe woman & the CEO for the First Nations Confederacy of Cultural Education Centers.

“We’re here today to honour, to commemorate, to remember and to give love to all those children who did not make it home, to the children who are now adults and elders who are here with us that made it home from residentials schools. To all those residential school survivors who returned home, but are no longer here with us,” Commanda said.

“Let us put our heart, our spirit, our mind and our voice together as one, to remember to show love and to say thank to the creator.”

Mary Simon, Canada’s first Indigenous Governor General, also addressed the crowd on Tuesday afternoon. Simon said that progress has been made on reconciliation, but more work remains.

“This week of celebration of truth and reconciliation starts for me with hope for future generations. Canada has made meaningful progress,” she said.

Simon pointed to recent milestones in reconciliation, including Pope Francis’s residential school apology, King Charles’s meeting with Indigenous leaders and research into missing children and unmarked graves at residential schools.

“This is major progress, but much more work remains. Inequities persist and we share a lifelong responsibility to address them,” she said.

“I have seen Indigenous people striving to heal while still struggling to meet basic needs. Too often, they lack access to adequate trauma-informed mental health support that honours their traditional healing practices. So, today, I call on every Canadian to renew their commitment to reconciliation.”

A memorial cloth bearing the names of children who did not return from residential schools was laid at the ceremony.

“At sixty metres in length, it is a vital, powerful part of our ceremonies to honour these precious lives. Every one of them was loved and every child mattered,” said Stephanie Scott, Executive Director of the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation.

“Let us all remember and honour these children as the sacred memorial cloth is lifted, it is our hope that families reclaim their children’s names and begin their healing process.”

With files from CTV News Ottawa’s Katelyn Wilson.

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