A monument to honour the victims and survivors of Canada’s residential schools will soon be installed near the West Block of Parliament Hill in Ottawa. Photo by WildComet – CC 4.0
A monument to honour the victims and survivors of Canada’s residential schools will soon be installed near the West Block of Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
The Residential Schools National Monument will serve as a meeting place where Indigenous people and all Canadians can gather to pay their respects to survivors and the children who were lost to their families and communities. The site was blessed by elders during a special ceremony.
Reflecting on the national significance of this commemoration, the 16-member Survivor-led Steering Committee collaborated with and sought consensus from the Anishinabe Algonquin Nation and survivors before selecting the monument site, which is located on traditional unceded Algonquin territory. This consensus is a first for any monument on Parliament Hill.
The committee was established to oversee the project through to completion. It will continue to provide advice and guidance on matters such as the design process and the development of educational content and programming, as well as to ensure the project remains grounded in Indigenous values.
“We took great care in finding a prominent location worthy of the national monument dedicated to residential school survivors and those who did not make it home,” says Jimmy Durocher, a Métis Survivor. “It is our hope this site on Parliament Hill will bring visitors from across the globe to learn about our history and what Indigenous people endured in these institutions.”
The selected site will be able to accommodate ceremonies, commemorations, and special events.
