Patriotism rings hollow in Canada

With the recent discovery of hundreds of unmarked graves of indigenous children at former Canadian boarding schools, calls to scrap or downplay patriotic celebrations for the country's national day are growing louder.

"It's tough to celebrate anything right now, in my opinion," John Nick Jeddore, a medical resident at Memorial University from the Miawpukek First Nation, told the CBC network. "These stories have been present since lived experiences have been in Canada, ... but they're absolutely gut wrenching when they're confirmed."

Canada Day celebrates the anniversary of the Canadian Confederation, which took place on July 1,1867, when the Constitution Act was passed. The colonies of Canada, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick were united into a dominion within the British Empire.

"Celebrating Canada Day is being seen as inconsiderate to all the children's lives that were lost and we encourage everyone to consider the price these children had to pay at the hands of the Canadian government," Bobby Cameron, chief of the Saskatchewan Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations, said in a statement.

The remains of as many as 751 people, mainly indigenous children, were found at the site of a former boarding school in the province of Saskatchewan, a Canadian indigenous group said on June 24.

The discovery came after the remains of 215 children were found in unmarked graves in May on the grounds of another former boarding school in British Columbia province.

"We are in a time of mourning in our community and our country. It does not feel like a time for celebration. It feels like a time to reckon with the truth of residential schools and the impacts of racism and colonial relationships in our country," Mayor Charlie Clark of Saskatoon, the largest city in Saskatchewan, said in a statement to the CBC.

The National Arts Centre, Ottawa Tourism and the Department of Canadian Heritage said a "different outlook" is needed for the holiday. "We are at a time of reckoning regarding our difficult past and we acknowledge the need to approach this Canada Day with a different outlook, moving away from the usual celebratory tone to one of reflection on our path toward reconciliation," they said in a joint statement.

Systemic barriers

Michael Crockatt, president and CEO of Ottawa Tourism, said he favors a "more reflective" Canada Day and a time to "double down on commitments to confront present-day systemic racism and barriers", the Ottawa Citizen reported.

Canadian Heritage, organizer of the July 1 events on Parliament Hill in the capital Ottawa, said in a statement that raising awareness of the "atrocities perpetuated against indigenous peoples" is a step toward reconciliation.

The events will be held online because of the pandemic.

However, a poll of 1,542 Canadians done by Leger for Postmedia found 77 percent of respondents oppose the idea of canceling the day.

"We can reflect on the reality that we still have work to do to improve the quality of life for our First Nations, Metis and Inuit citizens, for racial minorities, ... But should we cancel Canada Day because we are not perfect? Of course not," an editorial in the Toronto Sun said.

The Canadian Constitution recognizes three groups of aboriginal peoples: Indians (more commonly referred to as First Nations), Inuit and Metis.

According to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, more than 150,000 First Nations children were sent to state-funded Christian schools as part of a program to assimilate them into Canadian society from the 19th century until the 1970s.

Rena Li in Toronto contributed to this story.