On the country's second National Day of Truth and Reconciliation, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canada will continue advancing towards reconciliation.."Scars don't heal overnight and trust can take a long time to rebuild," Trudeau said. "But we will be there together every step of the way.".Speaking at a ceremony Friday afternoon at Ottawa’s LeBreton Flats Park, Trudeau said September 30 is a day to "grieve," and "take another step" in healing. But he added non-indigenous peoples must recognize that First Nations, Metis and Inuit "should not have to carry this burden alone."."How many times do indigenous peoples need to tell their stories of trauma, of loss, of pain, of grief, until we absorb those stories as non-indigenous people and make them our own?" Trudeau asked.."Because they, too, are the story of Canada and therefore they, too, are the story of each of us.".The national holiday was established in 2021 to acknowledge Canada's legacy of residential schools. Up until 1997, the residential school system saw indigenous children taken from their families and placed in learning facilities, where their language and culture were discouraged..An estimated 150,000 indigenous children attended residential schools. In the last year, more a thousand unmarked graves have been found at residential school sites across the country. No graves have been unearthed yet.."Lack of value, of respect, of celebration of indigenous languages, culture and identity is woven into the fabric of every part of this country because for so many years, it was taught, the same way it was being taught in horrific ways — or attempted to be taught — in horrific ways to indigenous kids in residential schools," Trudeau said..Murray Sinclair, the former chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, said the day was initially envisioned to be a day for Canadians to reflect on the country's history and treatment of indigenous people, and commit to do better for the rest of 2022.."This important work of reconciliation is not a one-day affair. As we say, it will take us several generations," he said during the ceremony on Friday..Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre also participated in the Sunrise Ceremony in Ottawa.."Today, we listen to the survivors, remember those — the children — we lost, and commit to continue walking the path of healing and reconciliation with indigenous people," he said..Last year, the prime minister was condemned for spending the first National Truth and Reconciliation Day on vacation in Tofino, BC with his family, despite his official itinerary claiming he was in private meetings in Ottawa.Trudeau participated in an event the night before, but made no public appearances on September 30, 2021.
