Many cities scrapped Canada Day occasions as scandal over Indigenous kids made them confront their colonial historical past.
Protesters within the Canadian metropolis of Winnipeg have toppled statues of Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth II within the face of rising anger over the invention of the stays of tons of of youngsters in unmarked graves at former Indigenous faculties.
Crowds chanted “no delight in genocide” earlier than knocking down the statues of the monarchs on Canada Day on Thursday, when historically celebrations happen throughout the nation.
This yr, nonetheless, many cities scrapped occasions because the scandal over the Indigenous kids made Canadians confront their colonial historical past. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau mentioned the day could be “a time for reflection”.
The hashtag #CancelCanadaDay was trending on social media, and rallies in help of the Indigenous neighborhood have been held across the nation.
Virtually 1,000 unmarked graves have been discovered at former residential faculties in British Columbia and Saskatchewan that have been primarily run by the Catholic Church and funded by the federal government.
For 165 years and as lately as 1996, the colleges forcibly separated Indigenous kids from their households, subjecting them to malnourishment and bodily and sexual abuse in what the Reality and Reconciliation Fee known as “cultural genocide” in 2015.
In Winnipeg, a crowd cheered as Queen Victoria’s statue fell exterior the Manitoba provincial legislature. Protesters, lots of whom wore orange clothes, additionally kicked the toppled statue and danced round it. The pedestal and statue have been daubed in pink paint hand marks.
A close-by statue of Queen Elizabeth was additionally pulled down. She is Canada’s present head of state, whereas Victoria reigned from 1837 to 1901 when Canada was a part of the British empire.
Protests in help of the Indigenous kids additionally came about in Toronto, Canada’s monetary hub, whereas a #CancelCanadaDay march within the capital, Ottawa, drew hundreds in help of victims and survivors of the residential college system.
Vigils and rallies have been held throughout different elements of the nation. Many contributors wore orange clothes, which has turn into the image of the motion.
The Canadian flag on the Peace Tower in Ottawa was flown at half-mast to honour Indigenous kids, as was the flag on the central tower of the Quebec Nationwide Meeting.
“This yr, the tragic historical past of residential faculties has overshadowed Canada Day celebrations,” mentioned Francois Legault, Quebec’s premier.
In his Canada Day message, Trudeau mentioned the discoveries of the stays of the kids on the former faculties “have rightfully pressed us to replicate on our nation’s historic failures”. Injustices nonetheless exist for Indigenous peoples and plenty of others in Canada, he added.