TORONTO — Ontario’s only First Nation representative at Queen’s Park will table a bill today to declare the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation a statutory holiday in the province.

New Democrat deputy leader Sol Mamakwa says the proposed Day of Reflection on Indian Residential Schools every Sept. 30 would make Ontario a better place.

Numerous Indigenous organizations across the province have pledged support for the holiday.

The day is a federal statutory holiday and several other provinces and territories have also made it one.

The day recognizes the abuse suffered by Inuit, First Nations and Métis people at hundreds of state- and church-run residential schools across the country.

Mamakwa is a residential school survivor who has spoken about the horrors there.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 28, 2024.

The Canadian Press