‘We need to stand up for justice’: Alderville First Nation Chief

Alderville First Nation Chief Taynor Simpson holds the community Eagle Staff leading the Every Child Matters walk north up County Road 45, along with students from Roseneath Centennial Public School. There were 165 students attending the walk. /Tim Burgess photos

By reporter Natalie Hamilton

The chief of Alderville First Nation says the “Every Child Matters” walk Wednesday was a particularly important event with the rise of residential school denialism in Canada.

Taynar Simpson, chief of Alderville First Nation, shared his thoughts about the gathering of around 400 people for the event held on Sept. 30, which is National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day.

“I think this year’s walk is important, especially in light of the increasing residential school (IRS) denialism in Canada,” said Simpson. “What we saw in Kamloops was abhorrent and will only get worse.”

Simpson was referring to the recent gathering of white nationalists on the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc reserve near Kamloops, B.C.

“We tried adding IRS denialism to the hate speech laws, but it was rejected by the federal government. It’s up to First Nations and their allies to show that this kind of behaviour has no place in Canada anymore,” continued Simpson. “We need to stand up for justice in the face of injustice.”

Community members were invited to join Alderville’s Every Child Matters walk, which started at the Alderville Health and Social Services (AHSS) on County Road 45 Wednesday morning. Attendees walked north to the Alderville First Nation Community Centre and boarded a bus to return to the AHSS building.

“It’s incredible to see all the support from our county and beyond,” said the chief. “It shows that reconciliation is alive and well in Canada.

“It was great seeing our MP and local mayors come out in support of Orange Shirt Day,” added Simpson.

Participants were encouraged to wear orange to raise awareness about the residential school system.

Other Sept. 30 events in Cobourg included two screenings at Victoria Hall of “Indian Horse,” a 2017 film that is an adaptation of Ojibway writer Richard Wagamese’s award-winning novel. The film follows Saul Indian Horse, an Ojibway boy, who is torn from his family and committed to a residential school in the 1950s. At the school, Saul is denied the freedom to speak his language or embrace his heritage and is a witness to abuse by the people sworn to protect him.

But Saul finds salvation in the unlikeliest of places – the rink. His hockey talents lead him away from the school to bigger and better opportunities, but no matter how far Saul goes, the ghosts of his past are always close behind.

Cobourg also invited residents to stop by the waterfront to view the Waterfront Wisdom Pathway, a collection of 26 banners created by local Indigenous artists Rick Beaver and Koren Smoke, of Alderville.

Flags across the Town of Cobourg were at half-mast Wednesday.

Meanwhile, in Port Hope, the Municipality of Port Hope, in partnership with Northumberland County, invited residents to a special free screening of “The Secret Path,” the acclaimed film project created by the late Gord Downie of the Tragically Hip.

The screening occurred at 7 p.m. on Wednesday at the Capitol Theatre in Port Hope in recognition of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. The film viewing was followed by a guest panel discussion featuring leading Indigenous voices and advocates.

The Secret Path tells the story of Chanie Wenjack, a 12-year-old Anishinaabe boy who died in 1966 while attempting to walk hundreds of kilometres home after escaping a residential school in northern Ontario.

“Through music, animation and storytelling, the film sheds light on the devastating impacts of Canada’s residential school system on Indigenous families and communities while encouraging reflection, education and dialogue,” reads a recent release.

Following the one-hour screening, attendees had the chance to interact in a panel discussion, moderated by Municipality of Port Hope Mayor Olena Hankivsky. Panellists included Marsha Smoke, Southeast Regional Chief, Anishinabek Nation, Dr. Hayden King, executive director, Yellowhead Institute, and Simpson.

“The story of Chanie Wenjack continues to resonate deeply with Canadians and reminds us of the importance of learning from our shared history,” said Hankivsky.

Admission was free but donations were welcomed and will be shared between the Aron Indigenous Circle in Campbellford, and Past Time, a legacy project honouring residential school survivor Stephen Pashagumskum.

Also in Port Hope on Sept. 30, Port Hope Police Service raised the Every Child Matters flag during a ceremony at the station on Fox Road.