Ford visits Hagersville, Ont. for Truth and Reconciliation Day

Hagersville, Ont. was one of the many communities across Canada taking part in National Truth and Reconciliation Day.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford was among those who took part in the march that made its way through the community’s downtown.

He shared that it is important to remember all of Canadian history.

“The kids that aren’t in the Indigenous community, they need to learn. They need to learn the history. Just imagine themselves being taken away from their family and never seeing their parents again,” Ford says.

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“It’s the worst thing that’s ever happened. Then [the non-Indigenous children] can relate, if they get told the stories from the community that went through it with their families.”

Chief Claire Sault of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation acknowledges there has been a lot of healing but, says there is still a long way to go.

“It’s important because this is a history that wasn’t taught in school. It’s a history that wasn’t acknowledged in school. It’s a history that wasn’t talked about,” says Chief Sault.

The generational effects. My mother was a residential school survivor. I know first-hand the trauma and the effects of the residential school system. It’s important that Canada understands the generational healing that needs to happen.”

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