The Survivors’ Flag was raised on Parliament Hill Aug. 29 in order to honour those impacted by the residential school system in Canada

Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, along with Stephanie Scott the Executive Director of the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR), Marc Miller, the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, and survivors from across the country were all on hand to witness the raising of the Survivors’ Flag on Parliament Hill. 

This flag will fly in memory of the 150,000 Indigenous children who were forcibly separated from their families and communities, and sent to residential schools, including those who attended the nearby Mohawk Institute Residential School in Brantford, also known as the "Mush Hole" by those children that attend the former institute.

The flag will honour the survivors, their families, the communities whose lives were forever changed, and those who never came home.

The orange and white Survivors’ Flag was designed by the NCTR in consultation with survivors from across Canada as an expression of remembrance and to be shared with all Canadians. 

“The Survivors created this flag as a symbol of the complicated journey we are on together toward healing. I know the Survivors’ Flag flying on Parliament Hill will serve as a reminder to all of us that we must continue to hear and understand the truth of residential schools. When Canadians witness the flag, they must reflect on actions that they can take as individuals in all capacities on our shared path of reconciliation,” stated Stephanie Scott, executive director, National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation.

“Residential schools are a shameful part of our history – that is the truth the Survivors’ Flag is going to remind us of, every day, here on Parliament Hill,” Prime Minister Trudeau added in a release.

To learn more, visit the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation's website.

Listen to the CKRZ update below: