Every Child Matters.

By Soha Asfahani

Indigenous people from across Windsor-Essex congregated in Amherstburg last weekend to remember the victims of Canada’s residential schools and remind the world that “every child matters.”

“This day is very special to me, my dad, my grandmother went through residential schools. Lost a lot,” said Batoc Stater, a vendor in the event who has lost many relatives who attended residential schools.

“My dad is talked about the beatings said they had, and he was the older from his suppliants and I’ve seen the scars on his hands,” Battoc said.

Truth and reconciliation day is a federal holiday which recognizes and honors the children who never returned home after being sent to residential schools.

 

For over a century, 150 000, indigenous children were separated from their parents and placed in these education centres. The last of the schools closed in 1996.

“I want to be here to give recognition to this day and what we wear it means a loss of identity,” said Jasem Loch.

“The meaning for this day for me is big. My grandfather run away from residential school in grade 3,” Loch said.

The schools were established in the late 1800’s as a way of controlling, administering and assimilating Canada’s indigenous population.

Loch confirmed that many of the children who attend residential schools were taken by force or were kidnaped by government officials. Parents who withheld their children, or who tried to remove them from the schools, faced arrest and imprisonment.

According to Skana family, the government funded the boarding schools and tasked various churches to run them.

Kahentiiosta Yen is one of the Skana family learning centre, and she have relatives affected by residential schools.

“It is very important for all Canadians to know what happened in the schools so that we can try to don’t happen again and just have all the future generations knows the history of residential schools,” said Yen.

It is believed at least 6000 children perished at Canada’s residential schools. Some estimate that the total causalities could be three times that number.