TREATY 1 TERRITORY, WINNIPEG — Indigenous broadcaster APTN and the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR) earlier this month announced they are coming together to produce a one-hour commemorative gathering at LeBreton Flats Park in Ottawa on Sept. 30 in honour of the second annual National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
Called Remembering the Children, the event will air live starting at 1 p.m. ET across all APTN channels and “a wide network of other Canadian broadcasters from coast to coast to coast,” says a press release.
The broadcast will be available for streaming on APTN lumi from Oct. 2-10.
The commemoration, which received funding from Canadian Heritage, “will serve as an opportunity for Indigenous Peoples to grieve, heal and educate non-Indigenous Canadians on the tragic legacy that residential schools have left behind,” the release explains.
Led by children and residential school survivors and their families, thousands of attendees are expected to join the event, after walking the “Remember Me: A National Day of Remembrance” spirit walk from Parliament Hill to LeBreton Flats Park.
The event will begin with their arrival at the stage, in front of which they will place Indigenous children’s footwear “as a symbol of remembrance and a visual representation of all the children who never made it home”, the release says. After the event, the footwear will be donated to charity.
“The commemoration will include a mixture of personal remembrances, artistic reflections and calls to unlearn and relearn the truth about residential, day and boarding schools,” the release says.
The event’s hosts are Charles Bender and Madeleine Allakariallak, who will present in English, French and Inuktitut.
“By gathering to witness stories directly from survivors, APTN will guide the nation in reflecting about the ongoing impact that residential, day and boarding schools have had, not only on Indigenous Peoples, but also on people in Canada as a whole,” said APTN CEO Monika Ille, in the release.
“National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is a moment for us to focus on remembrance and reconciliation and to share truth with people across the country,” Ille said.
“Indigenous Peoples cannot walk the path of reconciliation alone; each person in Canada must play a part,” said Stephanie Scott, executive director of the NCTR. “This broadcast is an opportunity to take a meaningful step towards reconciliation by hearing the truth and pausing to reflect on what reconciliation really means for us as individuals, as institutions, and as communities.”
APTN also announced it will honour the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation by broadcasting 35 hours of special programming featuring a range of educational shows and documentaries, starting at 7 p.m. ET on Sept. 29, which will air across all APTN channels.
The full schedule of APTN programming is available here.
Image borrowed from APTN’s website.
