Hundreds gather in St. John's for National Truth and Reconciliation Day

The third annual National Truth and Reconciliation Day was marked in St. John's on Saturday with a rally on the doorstep of the Colonial Building.

The event saw hundreds, many dressed in orange, gather in support of the province's Indigenous community. Others had displays in communities across the province. 

"We're just overwhelmed with the amount of support we have seen here this afternoon. It's actually quite powerful and gives us a lot of hope toward reconciliation and healing," said Stacey Howse, executive director of First Light, which organized the afternoon rally.

National Truth and Reconciliation Day is a time for reflection on the impacts of the Canadian residential school system, which separated generations of Indigenous children from their families and cultures and forced them into institutions where many experienced trauma and abuse. It remembers the survivors and those who didn't make it home. 

Five residential schools operated in Labrador and St. Anthony. The last closed in 1980.

"The Indigenous community has always known about our history, we've had to face the reality of it each and every day" said Howse. "Intergenerational trauma is so real in our communities. We've heard the stories of survivors and it's been passed down through generations and we know what happened to our people."

Howse said the Colonial Building is a representation of structures that were not made for Indigenous people.

"In fact, [they] were made to harm our people," she said. "We are reclaiming these spaces and we're showing up here and we have allies that are showing up here in solidarity."

A major focus of Saturday's rally was First Light's 42 calls for change — a document created to advance truth and reconciliation specifically in St. John's and Newfoundland and Labrador.

It calls for changes to be made in the education and justice system, as well as other recommendations on housing, apologies and more. 

"If there's one thing that I would want people to take away from today it is to really think about reconciliation and what that would look like," Howse said. "The calls for change by First Voice, our shared vision, is somewhere where people can start."

She said the first step is learning about Indigenous people in the community, the history and then how to move forward.

Saturday's event also included a smudging ceremony, a traditional healing fire, a wall where the public was encouraged to write reflections on and a number of speakers including Emma Reelis, a residential school survivor.

"It gave me a sense of pride," said Reelis after the event, reflecting on the size of the crowd in attendance.