Pikwàkanagàn Walk to Remember: Honouring Survivors, Remembering the Children and Advancing Truth and Reconciliation

The Algonquins of Pikwàkanagàn First Nation came together for the annual Walk to Remember, a meaningful opportunity for community members to honour the children who never returned home from residential schools, survivors, families and generations of Indigenous people whose lives have been affected by the residential school system.

For the Algonquins of Pikwàkanagàn First Nation, remembering the history and legacy of residential schools is an important part of understanding the experiences of our community, our families and our people.

Residential schools were part of a government and church-run system designed to separate Indigenous children from their families, communities, cultures and languages. Children were taken from their homes and placed in institutions where many experienced profound harm, including the loss of family, language, culture and connection to their communities.

The impacts of this system did not end when the residential schools closed. Their legacy continues to affect survivors, their families and subsequent generations.

The Walk to Remember honours those experiences and recognizes the strength and resilience of survivors and their families.

It is also a reminder that every child matters — and that the names, lives and stories of those who never returned home must never be forgotten.

Truth and Reconciliation is not limited to one day, one event or one walk each year. It is an ongoing responsibility.

It calls on governments, institutions, organizations and individuals to listen, learn and take meaningful action. It means recognizing the rights, histories, cultures and lived experiences of First Nations and building relationships based on respect, understanding and mutual accountability.

For the Algonquins of Pikwàkanagàn First Nation, reconciliation is also connected to our ongoing work to protect our culture, language, lands, waters and inherent rights, while ensuring that future generations have the opportunity to grow up with a strong connection to who they are and where they come from.

For Pikwàkanagàn, the work of Truth and Reconciliation continues.