'This is an awakening': stories of Truth and Reconciliation from across Canada

WINNIPEG — For the first time ever, Canada will recognize the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation – a day that has been called for in this country for nearly six years.

On Dec. 15, 2015, The Government of Canada committed to implementing the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. There are 94 calls to action in the final report, you can read all of them here.

Sept. 30 – declared by the federal government to be the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation – is the 80th call to action:

We call upon the federal government, in collaboration with Aboriginal peoples, to establish, as a statutory holiday, a National Day for Truth and Reconciliation to honour Survivors, their families, and communities, and ensure that public commemoration of the history and legacy of residential schools remains a vital component of the reconciliation process.

Marie Wilson, one of three commissioners of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, said recognizing this day is an important step, as it will serve as an annual marker for Canadians.

"If we slip in our paying attention, if we slip in our efforts, we will be called to attention to take stock of how are we doing – to remember the extreme harms that happened to many in the residential school system, and to acknowledge that it happened because of Canadian laws and policies," Wilson said.

The goal of Canada's policy was to 'kill the Indian in the child.' The effects of that are still being felt in today's generation.

"There is such a long history of darkness for our people for many, many years," Elder Mae Louise Campbell told CTV's Michael Hutchinson and Nicole Dube in Winnipeg.

"All the sadness that our people have been through, all the sorrow from losing the children, from residential schools, from losing our land and our language. All that sorrow, we must leave it behind now, because this is an awakening," she said.

"This is our time to rise up again, I believe that and I want desperately to see our people rise up. They have so much wisdom, they so much knowledge, they have so much courage and so much resilience after all that has happened."

STORIES FROM SURVIVORS

Here are the stories from survivors – stories of abuse, grief, the resilience to overcome, and a sense of pride from all across Canada:

 

Bound by resilience: Residential school survivors not letting their past shape their future

Three survivors share their stories of abuse within the residential school system. However, what binds these survivors together is not their pain – it is perseverance.

Read the full story from CTV News Victoria's Scott Cunningham here.

'I had such hatred for the colour of my skin': History of residential school remembered by generations of Indigenous people

Canada's last federally funded residential school closed in 1997, but with nearly 150,000 Indigenous children put through the system, many are now dealing with the effects of intergenerational trauma brought on by years plagued with racism and a loss of identity.

Read the full story from CTV News Prince Albert's Lisa Risom here.

Early First Nations culture and traditions were impacted by resources found in their natural world

Before the European settlers' arrival to the Americas, early First Nations used resources of the natural world around them which impacted the structures of their society, food resources, homes, and culture and traditions.

Read the full story from CTV News Yorkton's Hafsa Arif here.

What search efforts for unmarked graves at former residential school sites look like in Canada

The discovery of unmarked graves at sites of residential schools was brought to the forefront in Canada when 215 were found at a former school in Kamloops.

But where does the search for more graves stand now?

Read the full story from CTV News Regina's Stefanie Davis here.

Millennium Scoop: How foster care is causing isolation, loss of identity for Indigenous children

It has been years since the last of Canada’s residential schools closed its doors, but the hardship continues. Today, Indigenous children are overrepresented in Canada’s foster-care system, which continues the cycle of suffering and loss of identity.

Read the full story from CTV News Vancouver's Travis Prasad here.

First Nation welcomes clean drinking water for first time in decades, others still left waiting

A First Nation community in Manitoba can safely drink from their taps for the first time in nearly a quarter-century after a decades-long boil water advisory was lifted, but dozens of First Nation communities across Canada are still waiting for that basic human right – clean water.

Read the full story from CTV News Winnipeg's Jeff Keele here.

Canadians need to understand impacts of colonization, MMIWG advocate says

When the Truth and Reconciliation Commission released its Calls to Action in 2015, it identified the need for a National Inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women and girls. Yet even after the inquiry many families still don’t have answers about what happened to their loved ones.

Read the full story from CTV News Winnipeg's Josh Crabb here.

Indigenous self-governance an important key to reconciliation: policy expert

Since 1877, the Indian Act has governed First Nations communities, allowing the federal government to control everything from land to resources, education, even an Indigenous person’s own status in the eyes of the law.

Some say one of the important keys to moving forward on the journey towards reconciliation is for Indigenous peoples in Canada to govern themselves.

Read the full story from CTV News Toronto's Beth Macdonell here.

Siksika First Nation taking proactive approach to keeping the community healthy

With heart-wrenching news stories from across the country about the racism being felt in the health-care system, an Alberta First Nation is taking the health of its members into its own hands, and the programs are having a positive impact on the lives of people living on the reserve.

Read the full story from CTV News Calgary's Kevin Fleming here.

'Taking back the space': Canadians re-examining symbols of colonialism across the country

Symbols of colonialism surround Canadians in many forms including street names or schools, and many people are looking to take back those spaces. For a community in Edmonton, that process is starting at Oliver Park – named after a man with a dark legacy.

Read the full story from CTV News Edmonton's Touria Izri here.

A testament to resiliency: Survivors become role models to generations rising above colonial legacies

Indigenous people in Canada have faced adversity, trauma, and tragedy. Those who find the strength to overcome injustice are becoming leaders in their communities and are looked to as role models for future generations rising up to break the shackles of colonialism.

Read the full story from CTV News Vancouver's Ben Miljure here.

Mi'kmaw craftsman brings back stories and keeps traditions alive while building birch-bark canoes

For thousands of years, birch-bark canoes were a vital part of Mi'kmaw life, but these days, it's a dying art -- one that Todd Labrador refuses to let go of.

Read the full story from CTV News Atlantic's Ryan Van Horne and Cristian Monetta here.

If you are a former residential school student 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.