Manitobans reimagine Canada Day celebrations in wake of residential school revelations

Rather than awash in red and white, on July 1, 2021, Winnipeg's downtown core was full of orange worn by thousands of marchers following the discovery of potential unmarked burial sites on the grounds of former residential schools.

At a rally following the march, a statue of Queen Victoria was toppled. It wasn't the usual Canada Day by any stretch.

One year later, the idea of celebrating Canada Day with pomp and circumstance has come under scrutiny, particularly in Winnipeg. The city's biggest annual celebration is reimagining the traditional party, and facing backlash for its choice.

It's a sensitive topic that Mary Jane Logan McCallum, a University of Winnipeg history professor hailing from Munsee Delaware Nation, is weighing herself. 

"We are in a moment where I think there's a bit of a struggle over what the meaning of the flag is, what Canada is, and then also what Canada Day is," she said.

Last year, Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation announced that 215 potential burial sites were found near the former Kamloops Indian Residential School in B.C. Searches with ground-penetrating radar continued in other provinces, including Manitoba, and challenged many people's understanding of Canadian history.

"I think for a long time those kinds of celebrations maybe have been stifling for Indigenous people, for people of colour who have complicated histories with the Canadian state that aren't always kind of straightforward celebratory," McCallum said.

The Forks, a meeting place for thousands of years in the city with the largest Indigenous population in Canada, is trying to change that. After months of Indigenous-led roundtable discussions, The Forks recast its Canada Day festivities into an inclusive celebration of multiculturalism it's calling, 'A New Day.'

The idea was praised in some circles, with The Forks credited for putting reconciliation in action.

A backlash also immediately spread across social media and editorial pages in Winnipeg and beyond, including claims The Forks was trying to cancel Canada Day.

Last week, the board of directors at The Forks responded with a defence of the celebration. This statement made numerous references to Canada Day, and the board said management "never intended to minimize or eliminate the idea of Canada Day." 

The City of Selkirk decided to mark Canada Day differently.

Vanessa Figus, marketing and communications coordinator at the city, said the reckoning over the legacy of residential schools prompted Selkirk to consult with Indigenous community groups and an elder to create a new, respectful Canada Day celebration.

She said the city will incorporate several educational components, ranging from an Indigenous-themed scavenger hunt to a storybook walk about residential schools, into its event.