How to talk to children about residential schools and the 215 Indigenous children found buried in mass grave
After the horrifying discovery of the remains of 215 Indigenous children in British Columbia last week, many parents across the country are struggling with how to talk to their children about it.
First Nation leaders in Waterloo Region say it's important to keep the conversation age appropriate.
Amye Annett-Werner, of Six Nations of the Grand River Territory and member of the Cayuga Nation, Wolf Clan, says she eased her children into the discussion before attending a memorial in Brantford.
"It was a very heavy experience, to see that, to be there, to place it," she said. "We had a discussion and I asked them how they were feeling and we came up with some solutions of what we could do as a family to honour the memory of the children, their families and their communities."
For elders at Anishnabeg Outreach, the trauma of Canada's residential school system is an all-too-familiar household conversation.
"It isn't just surviving, it's, it's blood memory. Residential school is a blood memory from the beginning," said spiritual healer Shkaabaawis Sagassige Giizis.
Holistic consultant Jane Burning says the grim discovery is a reminder of family trauma.
"They have not found the words to be able to share with their children about what has happened yet," she said.
Burning hopes education and open conversation can lead to a better understanding between the two cultures going forward.
"We can learn from them about that connection and for these children not to focus on the trauma and the pain and the injustice but to see how we can connect as a whole and become something more," she said.
For Annett-Werner, experiencing the Brantford memorial helped her family come to terms with the grief.
"Anger, sadness, everything, everything just different waves of it," she said. "It's something that my parents didn’t have a choice to tell me either. What I would ask people is to step out of that privilege of not having the choice and to sit down with their kids."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Air turbulence: When can it become dangerous?
Flight turbulence like that encountered by a Singapore Airlines flight on Tuesday is extremely common, but there's one aspect of severe turbulence an aviation expert says can lead to serious injury.
B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton hospitalized after prison attack
British Columbia serial killer Robert Pickton was attacked and sustained life-threatening injuries in a Quebec prison Sunday in what officials described as a 'major assault.'
'Mr. Trump doesn't worry us', says Canadian ambassador
As Prime Minister Justin Trudeau continues the 'Team Canada' charm offensive to U.S. lawmakers and business leaders, Canada's ambassador to the United States downplayed the effect of another Trump presidency on Canada.
WATCH Why today's inflation numbers are good if you have a mortgage
New inflation data is 'welcome news' for consumers and an economist says it could signal the possibility for a interest rate cut as several core measures also continue to ease.
'Miscommunication' Liberals say of Speaker Fergus event invite Conservatives call partisan
House of Commons Speaker Greg Fergus is facing fresh Conservative-led calls to resign, this time over "very partisan" and 'inflammatory' language used – the Liberals say mistakenly – to promote an upcoming event.
Toronto Blue Jays fan struck by 110 m.p.h foul ball offered tickets, signed baseball by team
The Toronto Blue Jays have offered tickets and a signed baseball to a fan who says she was struck in the face by a 110 m.p.h (177 km/h) foul ball at Friday’s game.
OPP continues to investigate boat collision north of Kingston, Ont. that left 3 people dead
Ontario Provincial Police continue to investigate a long weekend fatal boat collision on Bobs Lake, north of Kingston, Ont.
opinion Tom Mulcair: With Trudeau spiralling, Mark Carney waits in the wings
In his latest column for CTVNews.ca, former NDP leader Tom Mulcair argues that if there's an unofficial frontrunner in the eventual race to replace Justin Trudeau as Liberal leader, it has to be former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney.
Loblaw boycott organizers say they plan to keep movement going past May
The organizers of a month-long boycott of Loblaw-owned stores say they've decided to extend the boycott past May.