Canada hoists flag to honor 150,000 children forced into Indian residential schools

By Barry Ellsworth

TRENTON, Canada (AA) - A flag was raised Monday on Parliament Hill in Canada's capital Ottawa to remember the 150,000 Indigenous children forced into Indian Residential Schools.

“Raising the Survivors’ Flag on Parliament Hill is a reflection and sign of deep grieving for the over 150,000 Indigenous children that were forcibly removed from their families and robbed of their culture and language to attend state- and church-run residential schools," Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu said in a press release.

"Today we honor the survivors, as well as the resiliency of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples."

It was a shameful time in Canadian history when beginning in the 1820s, Indigenous children were torn from their families and placed in the schools. A significant number had to endure years of sexual, psychological and physical abuse.

The schools -- eventually 139 were established, with the last one closing in the 1990s -- were run by religious bodies, including 60% by the Catholic Church.

It is estimated that more than 4,500 children died and sickness was rampant, predominately tuberculosis.

Many were buried on school properties, and any grave crosses have long since disappeared. Some families were left wondering about the fate of their children and were never told of their deaths.

Since 2021, more than 1,200 graves have been located at various schools using ground-penetrating radar.

The white Europeans of the 19th century were attempting to wipe out Indigenous culture. It was, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau agreed, a genocide.

Today, Canada continues on a journey of reconciliation, acknowledging its wrongs against the country's original inhabitants.

“The survivors created this (orange and white) flag as a symbol of the complicated journey we are on together toward healing," said Stephanie Scott, executive director of the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR). "I know the Survivors’ Flag flying on Parliament Hill will serve as a reminder to all of us that we must continue to hear and understand the truth of residential schools.”

"When Canadians witness the flag, they must reflect on actions that they can take as individuals in all capacities on our shared path of reconciliation.”

The flag will fly on Parliament Hill, the seat of the federal government, until a permanent spot is chosen in 2024.