While an apology won’t “offer full closure,” many hope it will help people in their healing journeys.
Barney Williams was only six years old when he was taken from his home in Opitsaht, on Meares Island, and transported to the Christie Residential School.
During his trip, which starts today and runs through Friday, the Pope will tour three regions of Canada in what is being called a historic journey of “healing and reconciliation.” The last of Canada’s 139 residential schools didn’t close until the late 1990s. During the 19th and 20th centuries, it’s estimated that over 150,000 Indigenous children were forced into the system, which tried to strip them of their language, culture and heritage. Many never returned to their families.
The British Columbia Assembly of First Nations is being allocated tickets for each site during the papal visit. There were 18 Indian Residential Schools that operated in B.C., along with more than 100 day schools. Williams echoed the sentiment. “You just have to look to the streets to see the impacts,” he said. “We’re still suffering.
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