'It's about educating everybody': Nipissing First Nation on residential school history
Friday morning, Judy Couchie stood in the middle of a drum circle at Nbisiing Secondary School on Nipissing First Nation, near North Bay, visibly choked up.
She had just finished sharing her deeply personal experience as a residential school survivor with the crowd gathered in the school's gym.
Judy Couchie (left), a residential school survivor, shares her experience with a crowd at Nbissing Secondary School on Nipissing First Nation on National Day for Truth and Reconciliation as Chief Scott McLeod (right) holds the microphone. Sept. 30/22 (Eric Taschner/CTV Northern Ontario)
Young girls and women sang and played the drum for her as she reflected on the experience she has lived through.
"With finding the 215+, it's disheartening to me," Couchie said, referring to the bodies of children found buried in unmarked graves at various Canadian residential schools across the country.
"I want to see them all go home."
The northeastern Ontario Indigenous community and its allies gathered at the school on National Day for Truth and Reconciliation for a ceremony and walk to the local residential school monument.
Group marches from Nbisiing Secondary School to Nipissing First Nation's residential school monument on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Sept. 30/22 (Eric Taschner/CTV Northern Ontario)
As Couchie told her story to the crowd, tears trickled down her cheeks.
Residential school survivor Judy Couchie shares her story at Nbisiing Secondary School on Nipissing First Nation for National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Sept. 30/22 (Eric Taschner/CTV Northern Ontario)
She was sent to Shingwauk Residential School in Sault Ste. Marie in her pre-teen years, she said. The school closed in 1970.
Couchie describes it as a horrific place where young kids were treated inhumanely just because they were First Nation.
"It was a lonely time. Very lonely for a child to spend," she said.
"You heard the children cry at night. That's when I learned of discrimination."
On Friday, Couchie and hundreds of others, including children, marched from the local high school to the monument, where she laid an 'Every Child Matters' wreath on behalf of all victims and survivors.
Gathering at Nipissing First Nation residential school monument on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Sept. 30/22 (Eric Taschner/CTV Northern Ontario)
Data shows 127 Nipissing First Nation children were ripped from their families and forced into the residential school system, Chief Scott McLeod told CTV News.
Most of them were sent to a residential school in Spanish, Ont., west of Sudbury, which closed in 1962.
Today, 60 years later, only eight survivors remain alive.
"The general public has not been aware of residential schools systems since recently," McLeod said.
"But, you cannot tell me that Pierre Elliot Trudeau and all the prime ministers, even his son Justin Trudeau, did not know."
There's pain, trauma and sadness, but also a celebration of a culture that remains vibrant and strong in the area.
National Day of Truth and Reconciliation gathering at Nbisiing Secondary School on Nipissing First Nation. Sept. 30/22 (Eric Taschner/CTV Northern Ontario)
McLeod said it's easy to acknowledge the truth of residential schools, but reconciliation comes with changing how First Nation Peoples are treated through laws and legislation.
"If you look at the 94 calls to action that came out of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, only one in 10 of those calls to action have been implemented," the chief said.
"So there's still lots of work to be done. We need to keep pressure on the government. It's the only way change will happen."
A powerful statement that many said needs to be shared so the healing can be felt.
"It's about educating everybody so we can come together and grow our country," Couchie said.
More on these events and others across the region to come on CTVNewsNorthernOntario.ca and CTV News at 6 and 11:30.
YOU ARE NOT ALONE
The ongoing intergenerational trauma caused by the residential school system can cause distress for some Indigenous people. If you or someone you know is struggling, help and support is available. Find more information here.
Background
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) released its report in 2015 on Canada's residential school system. The answer to how many of the 94 calls to action outlined by the TRC have been completed by the federal government varies depending on who you ask. While the Canadian government says it has completed 17 of the calls to action, some groups say several of the calls to action the feds are counting are still incomplete.
"The federal government is directly or jointly accountable for 76 of the 94 Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada's Calls to Action," the Indigenous Watchdog group says.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Chemical spill could be cause of stinky water in Puslinch, Ont., new report says
People living in Puslinch, Ont. may have the answer to why their water smelled so bad last year.
Maple Leafs eliminated from NHL playoffs with Game 7 OT loss to Bruins
Sheldon Keefe told his players hockey history would remember them one way or another.
Trudeau 'absolutely' best person to lead the Liberals in next election: LeBlanc says
Cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc insists he's not planning a leadership campaign to head the Liberal party, should current leader and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau resign, seemingly quashing rumours he's planning to make a move for his boss' job.
opinion You don't need to be an influencer to earn income from social media
How legitimate are claims by some content creators that the average person can earn passive income from social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram? Personal finance columnist Christopher Liew says it's quite possible, if you're willing to put in the initial time and effort.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Ukraine marks its third Easter at war as it comes under fire from Russian drones and troops
As Ukraine marked its third Easter at war, Russia on Sunday launched a barrage of drones concentrated in Ukraine's east, wounding more than a dozen people, and claimed its troops took control of a village they had been targeting.
London Drugs begins 'gradual reopening' on 7th day after cyberattack
Almost a week after all London Drugs stores across Western Canada abruptly closed amid a cyberattack, they began a "gradual reopening" on Saturday.
‘Love has no boundaries’: Sask. couple in their 90s and 80s get married
Eighty-two-year-old Susan Neufeldt and 90-year-old Ulrich Richter are no spring chickens, but their love blossomed over the weekend with their wedding at Pine View Manor just outside of Rosthern.
What a judge's gag order on Trump means in his hush money case
A gag order bars Trump from commenting publicly on witnesses, jurors and some others connected to the matter. The New York judge already has found that Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee for president, repeatedly violated the order, fined him US$9,000 and warning that jail could follow if he doesn't comply.