'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
Canadian gov't proposes new foreign influence registry as part of wide-spanning new bill
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government is proposing a suite of new measures and law changes aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada, amid extensive scrutiny over past meddling attempts and an ever-evolving threat landscape.
Boeing Starliner capsule's first crewed test flight postponed
The long-awaited first crewed test flight of Boeing's new Starliner space capsule was called off for at least 24 hours over a technical issue that launch teams were unable to resolve in time for the planned Monday night lift-off.
Teacher charged in historical sexual assault of Calgary teenage girl
Calgary police have charged a teacher with the alleged sexual assault of a teenage girl more than 20 years ago.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Man banned from owning animals after fatal Calgary dog attack
The owner of three Calgary dogs that got loose and mauled a woman to death in 2022 has been ordered to pay a $15,000 fine within one year and banned from owning any animal for 15 years.
East-end Ottawa family dealing with massive rat infestation
Residents in Ottawa’s Elmridge Gardens complex are dealing with a rat infestation that just won’t go away. Now, after doing everything they can to try to fix the issue, they are pleading with the city to step in and help.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Newfoundland and Labrador latest province to tighten rules on Airbnbs
Newfoundland and Labrador is the latest jurisdiction to bring in stricter rules for short-term rentals, with a coming set of regulations that will force operators to register with the provincial government.