A day to remember Indigenous children who were taken and did not come home

Indigenous elder Mary Clause has a message for the Niagara-on-the-Lake community. She wants us all to remember “those native children who are not with us today. They are dead, buried some place unknown, and never given the chance to reconnect with their family and community.”

She is grateful, she said, that the Canadian government has declared today, Sept. 30, a national holiday in recognition of The Day of Truth and Reconciliation. “It’s good that it’s a day our Native children who’ve gone missing are recognized with a national holiday,” she told The Local before the ceremony at the town hall began. “It’s a time of learning about our history, a time to share our history, and make sure it’s finally being told. It’s a step in the right direction, to acknowledge the truth of our history, but there is still much more to do, more action that is needed.”

The annual ceremony is “a chance to use our voice, to speak as one voice,” Clause said. “And hopefully, somebody is listening.”

But as important as it is to listen, she added, it has to be followed by action.

As a member of Strong Water Singers and spokesperson for the group, she was at the Niagara-on-the-Lake town hall for a ceremonial flag-raising and lowering to honour and acknowledge the significance of Sept. 30, and remember the Native children who were sent to residential schools, and never came home.

With a small crowd of municipal staff gathered for the ceremony, Fire Chief Jay Plato said the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation “is a day to reflect on Canada’s past with residential schools, understand how it still affects Indigenous Peoples, and support those impacted.”

“Today,” he said, “we honour survivors of residential schools and their communities, keeping the history alive as part of our reconciliation efforts.”

Speaking on behalf of interim CAO Bruce Zvaniga who was unable to attend, Plato noted that truth and reconciliation are more than just words. “They guide us in creating a better future. This day is about listening, learning, and understanding the experiences of Indigenous communities, appreciating their cultures, and recognizing their strengths.”

Lord Mayor Gary Zalepa began with a land acknowledgement that said in part, “today, this gathering place is home to many First Nations, Metis and Inuit Peoples," and reminds us "that our great standard of living is directly related to the resources and friendship of Indigenous Peoples. We recognize our responsibility to the past and future, and the rights and needs of both individuals and the community.”

When Zalepa introduced the Strong Water Singers, Clause explained the song the group was going to perform, called Wild Flower, is about mothers protecting their children from being taken by social workers, and about remembering “our missing Native children.” 

It begins quietly, “because this is when the mother knows that people are approaching their home with the possibility of the children being taken.”

The second verse of this very stirring performance is sung in a louder tone, when the mother is calling her children and signalling to them it is safe to return home, she explained. “As these children played and ran through the wild flower fields, the seeds were spread around in the meadows, and the wild flowers flourished in the meadows. As the years passed and children were being taken from their homes, there were no more wild flowers in the meadows, because the children never came home.”

The Day of Truth and Reconciliation was chosen to coincide with Orange Shirt Day, which, as Clause explained, was started by Phyllis Webstad in 2013. Webstad had gone to school wearing her favourite shirt given to her by her grandmother, but when she got there, said Clause, the authorities made her take her shirt off because it didn't meet the school's criteria, and it became a symbol of how Native children were treated in residential schools, “stripped of their clothing, language, and culture.”

The legacy of the residential schools “has contributed to many social problems that continue to still exist in many of our Native communities today,” she said. “It has taken extraordinary courage for thousands of our Native People to come forward and share their experiences in these residential schools. They have come forward publicly to speak on the abuse they suffered in these institutions.” It is also a testament of their resilience and courage, “and helps to strengthen their cultural teachings,” said Clause.

After calling for a moment of silence for the children who did not return home, Clause spoke of those who survived residential schools, “who have been working on recovering from this sad chapter in our history. I believe it is time for the world to sit down together and settle the wrongdoing to these Native children. It can prove in today's modern day that society can correct the mistakes of the past.”

First Nations People should be treated as equal, she said. Their hope is to “one day govern our own communities, by our own institutions. We should be allowed to make our own mistakes and learn to rejoice in our own victories, to be able to stand on our own feet once again and rule our native lands freely.”

Treaty rights should be honoured, and Indigenous People should be negotiating at the government table. “It is the most honourable way to resolve indigenous issues in this country,” she said.

She also spoke of the importance of educating children in core values for Indigenous families. “We have a new generation of people and when we all heal from those wounds, we can prepare our young ones to lead our nations.”

Sept. 30 is one day, she said, about the education of residential schools, but education can’t be just one day. “It needs to happen everyday. Teachers need to take action for the students to share what they learned today and  go home to share it with their family and friends.”

“In our Native communities,” she continued, “we need to continue to do our part in spiritual teachings of love, love from the depths of our hearts, and to help heal the wounds of the past. Sept. 30 marks the beginning of the end.”

It should be a day of reflection, a day of conversations about the generational effects of residential schools, and effects it has on the First Nations children everyday, she said. “For those who do heal, they have hope. They need to demonstrate that hope through actions and understand, by having compassion to others who are still struggling with their past trauma.” 

Zalepa explained that this was the fourth National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, which the federal government officially made a statutory holiday “in response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action. This day is meant to honour survivors of residential schools and ensure we remember their history.”

The day, he said, “is about honouring the children who were lost, and the survivors, along with their families and communities. It's a time for us to come together, reflect on this painful past, and work towards a better future.”

He spoke of the importance of acknowledging the residential school system, working to rebuild relationships with Indigenous communities, and creating “a fairer, more just society. Remembering this history is key to moving forward with reconciliation.”

The town, he said, wants “to foster a culture that’s inclusive of the past, present and future.” Council approved Sept. 30 as a day off for staff “as it encourages cultural awareness by allowing employees to reflect, learn, and participate in events related to Indigenous history and the impacts of colonialism. This day off also promotes mental health and mindfulness, offering space for quiet reflection while fostering an inclusive and socially responsible workplace that values diversity and supports important national movements toward equity.”

His hope, he added, was that “this day inspires us to keep working toward justice, healing, and unity — not just today but every day. Together, we can make real change happen.”