Truck convoy moves through Ottawa to honour residential school victims
A convoy of trucks travelled through downtown Ottawa Sunday as a show of support for Indigenous peoples and to honour the 215 children whose remains were found at the former Kamloops, B.C. residential school.
Speaking on Newstalk 580 CFRA's "CFRA Live with Andrew Pinsent", organizer Roger Steepe said he wanted to do something.
"I heard about the Kamloops rally and how successful it was out there and it's something that I could do, too," he said.
"I didn't want to make today a political thing. I wanted today to be a humanitarian thing," he added. "We're all in it together. We're all one community, one person, one humanity. It doesn't matter if you're Indigenous or not, we've got to support each other. Everybody wants the same thing in life: to be happy."
The convoy rolled out at around 9:30 a.m. from their staging site at Cavanaugh Construction in Ashton. The convoy made its way down Highway 417, up Kent Street in Ottawa, down Wellington Street in front of Parliament, and then along Elgin Street before making its way back to Highway 417 to end the rally.
The discovery of the remains of 215 children at the former Kamloops residential school prompted an outpouring of grief and support across Canada. Residential school survivors and their supporters held vigils across the country. Governments symbolically lowered flags to mark the deaths. Ontario Premier Doug Ford has pledged $10 million to identify and commemorate unmarked burial sites across the province.
In Kingston, Ont., the statue of Sir John A. Macdonald, Canada's first prime minister, was removed from its pedestal in a downtown park.
Macdonald played a key role in the development of the residential school system. About 150,000 Indigenous children were separated from their families and forced to attend the schools. Canada's last residential school closed in 1996.
And while Steepe says Sunday's convoy in Ottawa is about honouring Indigenous peoples, he hopes the convoy does get the attention of decision makers in the federal government.
"I hope the politicians are listening and have less talk and more action now," he said. "It's been too long for any of this to be not noticed and not recognized. More action now and less talking about it."
After the convoy, Steepe told CTV News Ottawa he was pleased with the turnout.
"As I saw the trucks roll in this morning it really hit me, that in a short time we could get all these drivers, especially on a Father’s Day, to come and do this. Some people say we shouldn’t do it on a Father’s Day, but all those kids didn’t get the chance to have a Father’s Day with their dad," he said.
"It’s a history of Canada, and it’s not a very good history, but we’re still all Canadians and we’ve got to all come together as one community."
Co-organizer Lyoness Woodstock said the news of the discovery in Kamloops shocked many Canadians.
"As a group of truck divers we thought it was important for us to let that community know that we have heard this, and we are shocked. We are sickened by this news. And now we know," Woodstock said.
"It’s pretty amazing to look in the rear view mirror and see a kilometre and a half of trucks with flags and ribbons and orange shirts on, four way flashers going, headlights on. It really puts a lump in your throat."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Two killed after collision with truck on Hwy. 417 near Limoges, Ont.
Ontario Provincial Police say two people were killed after a car and a transport truck collided in the westbound lanes of Highway 417 near Limoges, Ont. on Tuesday afternoon.
Houston braces for flooding to worsen in wake of storms
High waters flooded neighborhoods around Houston on Saturday following heavy rains that have already resulted in crews rescuing hundreds of people from homes, rooftops and roads engulfed in murky water.
Canadian doctor concerned new weight-loss drug Wegovy may be used inappropriately
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
‘We made them safer and more fun’: Here’s what’s new about e-scooters
Electric scooters (e-scooters) have been gaining popularity in the capital and this season comes with some changes and updates.
Hulk Hogan, hurricanes and a blockbuster recording: A week in review of the Trump hush money trial
Crucial witnesses took the stand in the second week of testimony in Donald Trump's hush money trial, including a California lawyer who negotiated deals at the center of the case and a longtime adviser to the former president.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Police officer hit by driver of fleeing vehicle in Toronto
York Regional Police say they are continuing to search for a suspect in an auto theft investigation who was captured on video running over a police officer in Toronto last month.
Canadian Auger-Aliassime reaches first Masters final in Madrid with another walkover
Montreal's Felix Auger-Aliassime has advanced to his first ATP Masters final, and he hasn't had to play all that much tennis to do it.