Tears Flow At Residential School Healing Event

Tears Flow At Residential School Healing Event

Monday, March 10, 2008 at 15:43

 

 

A crowd of about 400 people heard an emotional story from the executive director of the National Residential Schools Survivors Society.

 

Ted Quewezance was speaking in yesterday as part of a cross-Canada tour called “Remembering the Children”.

 

The tour features Aboriginal and church leaders preparing people for the upcoming Truth and Reconciliation commission.

 

Quewezance, a survivor himself, told the story of how he was taken from his grandparents at a very young age.

 

Quewezance spoke about how he was sexually abused for six years while attending residential school, beginning at the age of 5 years.

 

He says his family still feels the effects of the residential school legacy — noting many of his brothers and sisters still do drugs and alcohol to deal with the pain of their experience.

 

He also says survivors have a responsibility to stand up and share their stories so the rest of Canada understands what happened to Aboriginal people.

 

Quewezance says the churches have apologized and taken responsibility for their role in the residential school legacy, and now it’s time for the government to do the same.