Calls for change ring out at Saskatoon Survivors’ Flag raising: ‘Right now we’re stumbling’

“We’ve got to make change, we’ve got to make change quick.”

That was from Saskatoon Tribal Council Tribal Chief Mark Arcand, who was one of the speakers at the annual raising of the Survivors’ Flag that took place at Saskatoon’s civic square on Monday ahead of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

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Several people took to the podium Monday morning ahead of the flag raising, talking about the flag and the importance of reconciliation.

Arcand said he is surrounded by family affected by residential schools, noting this is the hardest time for them.

“This month brings back some serious, ugly memories,” Arcand said.

He said he was grateful to see survivors at the flag raising.

“Because without them, this journey wouldn’t be possible.”

He wondered when we were all going to stand up together and make change, pointing to the number of Indigenous people that were homeless, in poverty, facing neglect or abuse, and women going missing or murdered.

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Arcand said he felt like Indigenous people were being tokenized to celebrate one day out of the year.

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“It’s not good enough. I see with my family, I see with all my friends, the relatives that went through. This place should be full of people who want to make change for everyone to have a quality of life. That’s the disappointing part.”

He said that won’t stop them moving forward, though, saying Elders and survivors have a vision for people to have that quality of life.

Arcand said Saskatoon and Saskatchewan need to be leaders in reconciliation.

“And right now we’re stumbling.”

Arcand spoke about educating children and ensuring that a situation like residential schools never happens again.

He said as long as he remains tribal chief he will try to help people, with an aim of having a future where Indigenous people aren’t struggling.

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The orange Survivors’ flag is described by the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation as “an expression of remembrance, meant to honour residential school survivors and all the lives and communities impacted by the residential school system in Canada.”

Carrie Horachek, director of Reconciliation Saskatoon said it was great to see the community coming together for the flag raising.

She said the stories behind what helped mould the Survivors’ Flag carried a lot of heartbreak, but also a message of hope.

Horachek suggested that people read these stories and get an idea behind the images.

One of the residential school survivors, Eugene Arcand, spoke at the event, saying he didn’t mean to “wreck this party.”

He said Indigenous people were wounded.

“If you have a family history that negatively in any way had anything to do with these residential schools, man up, deal with it. Don’t continue to carry it out on the misery of our children and our grandchildren, and our great grandchildren, and have us continue to be an industry because the status quo no longer is the same.”