As Canadians mark the sixth National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Gov. Gen. Louise Arbour says it’s important to face an “unsettling” past in order to build a better country.
This is Arbour’s first time observing the day as Governor General. She was sworn in this summer, replacing Mary Simon, the first Indigenous person to serve in the role.
“Many Canadians, myself included, did not grow up knowing this history. Facing it can be painful and unsettling, but understanding the truth is essential to building a more just future,” Arbour said in a statement Wednesday.
“We cannot change the past, but we can choose how we move forward.”
Arbour said understanding Canada’s historical truth begins with “empathy” for First Nations, Inuit and Métis.
“It continues through honest dialogue, ongoing learning and concrete action to address the inequities inherited from past wrongs. Together, we can build a country where these injustices are never repeated.”
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Arbour took part in the re-raising of the Survivors’ Flag on Parliament Hill in Ottawa and delivered remarks to honour residential school survivors.
Prime Minister Mark Carney will be in Edmonton to mark the occasion and is set to speak at a commemorative event.
Canada’s residential schools operated from 1857 to 1996. Some 150,000 Indigenous children were forced to leave their families to attend the government or church-run institutions.
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The Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (TRC) exhaustive, years-long study of residential schools revealed the devastating impact they had on Indigenous people.
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The institutions were designed to assimilate Indigenous children into the dominant Euro-Canadian culture, causing deep intergenerational trauma and harm, the TRC found. They were characterized by widespread abuse and neglect, and led to as many as 6,000 deaths, mostly from malnutrition or disease.
Eleven years after the publication of the TRC report, only 15 of its 94 calls to action have been put into force.
