Hundreds of people dressed in orange shirts marched downtown Winnipeg on Friday afternoon to honor Indigenous children who died in residential schools.
The crowd left the intersection of Portage Avenue and Main Street at 5 p.m. and arrived on the grounds outside the Manitoba Legislative Building when a demonstration called “Cancel Canada Day” began “.
Winnipeg police urged motorists in the area to choose an alternative route or wait for delays during the march.
This is the second year that demonstrations have been held in Winnipeg on Canada Day to draw attention to the painful legacy of the country’s residential school system.
Michael Yellowwing Kannon says Friday’s “Cancel Canada Day” demonstration was a continuation of last year when two statues were demolished near the Manitoba Legislative Building. (Stephanie Cram / CBC)
On July 1, 2021, two statues of British monarchs were demolished during a rally to replace national holiday celebrations with actions in memory of hundreds of Indigenous children buried in unmarked graves in residential schools across the country .
The provincial government considered that a statue of Queen Victoria that was demolished and beheaded was irreparable and would not be restored.
Michael Yellowwing Kannon was next to the statue last year, taking photos while tied with ropes and thrown to the ground.
“The sound of bronze breaking through the stone felt like an opening grave, freeing all those bodies from the residential school,” he said.
Yellowwing Kannon, a survivor of Sixties Scoop, recalled the chants of “no pride, no genocide,” that rang out last year. He said this year’s rally is a continuation of the turning point that occurred last July.
The “Cancel Canada Day” march walks through downtown Winnipeg on Friday. (Stephanie Cram / CBC)
“That’s something different,” he said. “As the rest of the nation is doing its part, we are celebrating our resilience against genocide.”
Different meaning of Canada Day
Canada Day has a different meaning for Jamie Couture after the discovery of hundreds of unmarked graves on the site of the former Indian residential school in Kamloops in May 2021.
“After finding a lot of unmarked graves with our ancestors, it absolutely changed,” he said.
Couture, who is Anishinaabe, said it was important for his two daughters to be at the rally.
He stressed the importance of knowing Canada’s past, including the source of pain for First Nations people, something it has addressed over the previous two generations.
“It just means trying to change the future, trying to fund our way back, our seven teachings, our way and all that was lost,” Couture said of the rally.
Gilbert Paul was one of several people who on Friday placed hand-painted prints on the ancient site of a statue of Queen Victoria. (Sam Samson / CBC)
Like Couture, Gilbert Paul’s perception of Canada Day has been altered.
He attended the rally because he wanted to see unity, not only among the natives, but also among people of different and diverse backgrounds.
“I’ve learned a lot growing up and a different vision and a different world today, and I’m so proud that everyone comes out,” Paul said. “It means the world to me.”
Paul, who is an Ojibway, has ties to residential schools. His two parents survived the schools, and for him to have the opportunity to place an orange handprint on the site of the statue of Queen Victoria was important to him.
The handprints cover the site where once stood a statue of Queen Victoria in Winnipeg. (Stephanie Cram / CBC)
“It’s not just a handprint,” Paul said.
Blanche Chief went out in Assiniboine Park on Friday, selling jewelry and orange T-shirts with various slogans.
He suggested it might be time to have a different holiday instead of Canada Day.
“Maybe it’s time to have a day to remember the colonial genocide that took place in Canada,” he said.
“It’s not a day of celebration.”