Prime Minister Mark Carney emphasized the importance of acknowledging a painful part of Canada’s history on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. At a solemn ceremony at Fort Edmonton Park, he paid tribute to the children who survived residential schools and those who tragically did not return home. Carney’s speech focused on the need to listen to the stories of these children and to collectively move towards a better future.
Federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre also attended the event, which was part of numerous gatherings held nationwide. The residential school system, which operated from the 1800s, saw over 150,000 Indigenous children subjected to abuse and neglect in church-run institutions. In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission characterized these schools as agents of cultural genocide.
