Thousands gather in East Vancouver to reflect on progress and unfinished work on reconciliation

Thousands gathered in East Vancouver on Wednesday afternoon to mark Canada’s sixth National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. The event began with a police-escorted march up Commercial Drive toward Grandview Park. The crowd stretched for several blocks and appeared to number in the thousands. Vancouver Police traffic control officers closed only one side of the street: southbound marchers filled it while northbound traffic continued just feet away, with no barrier between people and vehicles. No incidents between pedestrians and drivers were reported.

At the park, attendees—almost all wearing orange T-shirts—gathered on the sloping main lawn facing a stage. Emcee Josiah Amaya said he is Kwakwakaʼwakw, Coast Salish, Nisga’a and Cree on his mother’s side, with family roots in El Salvador on his father’s side. “I’m an intergenerational residential school survivor,” he said. “My grandmother went, and all of her 13 siblings as well.” The day was solemn, with stories from residential school survivors and people experiencing intergenerational trauma. Several attendees said they were glad to see so many people come together.

“It is a great way to celebrate. And the resiliency of the First Nations communities is an inspiration to all of us,” said Rebecca Lennox. Grandview-Woodland has a large urban Indigenous population, joined by many non-Indigenous community members for the day. Jesse Lennox said it was important to show up as an ally, offer support and honour the country’s history. Eric Campbell, an Anishinaabe and Cree man whose roots are in northern Manitoba, attended with an orange Every Child Matters flag. He said people of every background should recognize that “we’re the human race” and that everyone is there for all children. “We’re all here for the same reason, right? And we all carry that in our hearts.”

Campbell also reflected on the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in 2021 and how discussion of Indigenous rights and issues has evolved since then. He said provincial political leaders of almost all stripes spoke out against a demonstration on Sunday at the Tk’emlúps te Secwepemc reserve near Kamloops, B.C. Photos showed demonstrators wearing white masks and matching uniforms with shoulder patches similar to those of the white nationalist group Second Sons. The images, taken so close to a former residential school, prompted discussion about whether public support for truth and reconciliation remains as strong as it was five years ago. Campbell said he felt things had slowed but not stopped, pointing to the large, multicultural crowd in the park. He compared the process to waves, with inevitable ups and downs, and said continued turnout was amazing to him.

Tensions in B.C. have also centred on Indigenous land rights and the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act. Some politicians campaigning in the provincial election have vowed to significantly amend or repeal the law outright. Lennox said the issue had become polarized and politicized, even though it affects everyone and everyone should take part in reconciliation as they can. That includes learning about it, attending events and remembering in daily life that people are walking on First Nations’ lands wherever they go.