Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne officially apologized to Ontario’s Indigenous communities for the policies and practices supported by past provincial governments this morning.
Wynne also announced that the province will invest more than $250 million toward 26 new initiatives introduced in a new report today called “The Journey Together.”
The initiatives include plans to ensure that all Ontario residents know about the horrors of residential schools and actions to preserve the language and oral histories of Indigenous people.
Wynne also announced that her government will introduce legislation today to name the first week of November “Treaties Recognition Week.”
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s report, titled Honouring the Truth, Reconciling for the Future, released in Dec. 2015, is the culmination of thousands of hours of heart-wrenching testimony heard in more than 300 communities over a span of six years.
More than 6,000 indigenous women and men who were abused told their stories.
Wynne gave the province’s official response alongside opposition leader Patrick Brown and Indigenous leaders this morning.
Brown also apologized on behalf of his party.
Earlier today, a sunrise ceremony was led by Indigenous elders Shelley Charles and Jim Dumont, along with a workshop open to the public focusing on the “history of the relationship between European settlers and Indigenous Peoples in Canada.”
Courtesy of CBC.