Grand Bay-Westfield was one of many communities last week to announce the cancellation of its Canada Day celebrations.
Instead, it will hold a community gathering on July 1 to acknowledge the “institutional and personal crimes leading to the innumerable injustices suffered by the Indigenous peoples.”
“We really did need to sit back, take a look at Canada’s history, reflect on the darker parts of our history that are causing pain and trauma here and now to families and communities all across our nation,” Mayor Brittany Merrifield said in an interview Monday.
The decision followed the discovery of unmarked graves near former residential schools across the country in recent weeks.
Last Thursday, the Cowessess First Nation in Saskatchewan announced the discovery of 751 unmarked graves at the site of a former residential school in the community.
Merrifield said Thursday’s gathering will not only be a chance to reflect on what has happened but also to learn from the Indigenous community.
“There’s this true learning and community building opportunity available here and we want to stand in solidarity with those who have experienced injustice and learn from our Indigenous neighbours,” she said.
“We’re going to have an Indigenous elder that’s going to be sharing some oral history of their people along the Wolastoq. We are going to have orange ribbons available to anybody who attends.”
The event will take place at the Brundage Point River Centre on Ferry Road at noon on July 1.
Meanwhile, three motions will come before council Monday night in an effort to help move forward with reconciliation.
The first motion will call for council to adopt the Canadian Commission for UNESCO Coalition of Municipalities for Inclusion Declaration.
The second is a motion regarding the six Calls to Action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada that are applicable to municipalities.
“There’ll be discussions on those motions where we’ll hopefully be able to act on number 57 almost immediately,” said Merrifield.
Action 57 calls on all levels of government to provide education to public servants on the history of Indigenous peoples, including the history and legacy of residential schools.
Council will also consider a motion to use the historic spelling of Woolastook (Wolastoq) and Nerepis (Na.li’pits) on road signs in the town.
“We have the anglicized version on our road signs now and we would like to use the historic Indigenous spelling,” said Merrifield.
The mayor said she has received “very positive” feedback from residents about the actions being undertaken by the town.
“People here in Grand Bay-Westfield are really amazing and they’ve been hurting and they’ve wanted a way to express their solidarity and their pain in concert,” she said.
Earlier Monday, the town raised the Wolastoq flag outside town hall, which included a smudging ceremony led by Amanda LeBlanc of the Wolastoq Nation.
