Hundreds gather at Government House in Regina for National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
Lieutenant Governor Russ Mirasty hosted an event for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation at the Residential School Memorial on the grounds of Government House in Regina.
With around 450 students from the neighbouring Luther College High School, the gathering featured a blessing from Elder John Stonechild, a speech by Mirasty and a musical performance from Saskatchewan’s own Brad Bellegarde.
“Kids relate to the arts, to music,” Bellegarde said.
“I'm just happy that they get to come out, over on a holiday and listen to some music and they probably are going to have some good discussions in their classrooms following this day."
Bellegarde is a renowned hip-hop artist who said music saved him. His rhymes include stories about his experiences, his parent’s experiences, overcoming obstacles and seeing the bigger picture.
He tells his story through his art and while he did not personally attend residential schools, the generational trauma has impacted him, and he believes it is his responsibility to share as much as he can.
"Honouring the lived experience of my parents, my family, my ancestors, you know, like I said I'm a first generation non-residential school survivor, so to me that means I need to do as much work as possible,” he said.
Inspiring youth to stand up and speak up and learn from the traumas of the past, Bellegarde teaches year round to help them learn to express in a healthy way.
“One thing hip hop and rap did for me was it gave me self confidence,” Bellegarde said.
“It’s all in instilling that confidence and empowering the youth I their mind to show that they are worthy, they are good enough to do something, they can speak up, they are valid… their thoughts, their ideas are all relevant.”
As for Mirasty, hosting a youth oriented event at the memorial was fitting. Being a residential school survivor himself, he believes the way forward is through education - and coming together.
"You know on a personal level it can get very emotional, and at times dark,” he said. “But at the same time we want to be able to share that in a way that people start to understand, start to appreciate the history and the stories and that there’s a better way forward.”
Mirasty wants the next generation to understand Canada’s history, and also to learn from it for a better tomorrow.
“Learning a little bit ... really opening their minds to the realities and the truths of residential schools and start to think about it and maybe ask questions."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
BREAKING McGill University seeks emergency injunction to remove pro-Palestinian encampment from campus
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
U.S. says Israel's use of U.S. arms likely violated international law, but evidence is incomplete
The Biden administration said Friday that Israel's use of U.S.-provided weapons in Gaza likely violated international humanitarian law but wartime conditions prevented U.S. officials from determining that for certain in specific airstrikes.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
Rare severe solar storm Friday could bring spectacular aurora light show across Canada
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
More than half the Canadians once detained in Syrian camps for suspected ISIS family members have returned home
A total of 29 Canadians have been freed from detention camps in northeast Syria and brought back to Canada since human rights advocates began lobbying for their release years ago.
Canada abstains from Palestinian UN membership vote but supports two-state solution
Canada was one of 25 countries that abstained from a United Nations vote on Palestinian membership that passed with overwhelming support on Friday.