Event: Remembering Residential Schools

    
    - Sunday October 25, 1:00 pm - at the Ottawa Public Library main branch
    auditorium, 120 Metcalfe Street
    

OTTAWA , Oct. 22 /CNW/ - The era of Indian Residential Schools has come to the public's attention in recent years with a formal apology from Canada's prime minister.

But an apology isn't enough. The survivors of residential schools, their families, their communities - the entire Aboriginal population - are still living with the schools' legacy.

And so are non-native peoples in Canada . A first step in healing, justice and 'reconciliation' is to learn more, to understand what happened and what it has meant.

On Sunday October 25 , an event entitled 'Remembering Residential Schools', aimed at fostering this type of understanding, is taking place at 1:00pm at the Ottawa Public Library main branch auditorium (120 Metcalfe St).

It will feature a short film, three residential school survivors sharing their stories and experiences, and a speaker to give some context and history to the whole residential schools program.

This event is part of Indigenous Sovereignty Week, taking place across Canada , including in Ottawa from Oct 24-31. The intent of the week is to contribute to building a cross-Canada movement for Indigenous rights, self-determination, and justice that is led by Indigenous communities but with a broad base of informed support.

This Sunday event on residential schools is an important part of the week's events - the forcible transfer of children of a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, to another group, is one of five acts that falls under the definition of genocide according to the United Nations (1948). Anyone would be hard pressed to argue that the program of residential schools does not fall under that category, and yet along with the government's apology, they have stated that no-one will be held criminally responsible for what happened.

The Indigenous Sovereignty Week organizing committee invites the public and the media to come learn more this Sunday.

For further information: Indigenous Sovereignty Week Ottawa media spokesperson: Michael Desautels, work [phone], cell [phone], [email protected]; Remembering Residential Schools' event organizer: Greg Macdougall, [phone], [email protected]; Residential School Survivor and speaker at Sunday event: Thomas Louttit, [phone]; More info on Indigenous Sovereignty Week: Ottawa - www.ipsmo.org, National - www.defendersoftheland.org