CanadaHundreds of events are planned across the country Saturday to mark National Indigenous Peoples Day.Manitoba organizers say event honours ‘strength and resilience’ of Indigenous peoplesThe Canadian Press · Posted: Jun 21, 2025 9:22 AM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hour agoAllison Bernard Memorial High School drummers Adora Johnson and Mia Gould take part in a Mi’kmaw sunrise ceremony Saturday near Louisbourg, N.S., to start Indigenous Peoples Day. (Tom Ayers/CBC)Hundreds of events are planned across the country Saturday to mark National Indigenous Peoples Day, recognizing First Nations, Inuit and Métis cultures and traditions.Prime Minister Mark Carney will take part in a closed event to mark the day, which was first observed in 1996.”Supporting Indigenous communities, advancing self-determination, implementing treaties and creating generational wealth and prosperity are central to our commitment to advancing reconciliation,” Carney said in a statement.”The government will work in full partnership with Indigenous Peoples — advancing shared priorities such as health care, food security, housing, education, economic prosperity, conservation, climate action and emergency management to build a better future.”The office of Gov. Gen. Mary Simon said she will host youth at Rideau Hall in Ottawa to mark the day by crafting paper hearts with “messages of reconciliation, hope and commitment.”The Governor General will plant the hearts in Rideau Hall’s “heart garden,” which honours Indigenous people who died in residential schools, along with survivors.”Each heart is a symbol of our collective responsibility to listen to and carry forward their stories — of pain and disappointment, strength and courage — and to commit to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada Calls to Action,” Simon’s office said.Sunrise ceremonies, which include prayers, greetings to the sun and giving thanks to the Earth, have been held today in multiple locations across the country.OntarioIn Toronto, Mayor Olivia Chow appeared at Nathan Phillips Square to participate in a sunrise ceremony. Elsewhere in the city, the Na-Me-Res Traditional Powwow and Indigenous Arts Festival will take place at the Fort York National Historic Site, featuring traditional dances, live concerts and a food market.In Ottawa, the Summer Solstice Indigenous Festival, taking place Saturday and Sunday, features a competition powwow, traditional foods and teaching sessions.Newfoundland and LabradorDrumming, singing and sage filled Bannerman Park in St. John’s for the First Light’s Sunrise Ceremony. Attendees also participated in a smudging ceremony and shared blessed water and berries.”We’re very fortunate to be one of the first in Turtle Island to greet the sun. And so that’s a big responsibility for us to do that in a good way,” said Kelly Young, a spokesperson for First Light, a St. John’s non-profit that offers services to the Indigenous community and works on preserving Indigenous culture. Nova ScotiaAbout 40 people gathered at the break of dawn along the Atlantic coast near Louisbourg, N.S., for a Mi’kmaw sunrise ceremony.The ceremony was led by residential school survivor and Eskasoni First Nation Elder Lottie Johnson, who said it’s meant for all people to share.”It’s a very special time. It’s quiet and as the sun comes up, you see the creation of [the] creator. Everything is so beautiful and it’s like almost-new again. That’s where you get the hope and the will to go on.”ManitobaStarting Saturday, the Forks in Winnipeg will host Many Nations, One Heartbeat, an 11-day festival of Indigenous performances, games, fashion and crafts, one of many events across the province. Organizers say the festival will honour “the stories, strength and resilience of Indigenous communities, especially in this moment of significant displacement due to Manitoba’s wildfire.” Powwow dancers perform at Sergeant Tommy Prince Place as part of National Indigenous Peoples Day in Winnipeg on Saturday. (Prabhjot Singh Lotey/CBC)QuebecEvents in Montreal include a barbecue, summer market and a tobacco ceremony as well as traditional drums and dance.”[It’s] super important because people have to see each other outside of just tackling life challenges and trying to build services or do things like that. We need to just hang out, have some fun and relax,” said Philippe Tsaronséré Meilleur, Native Montreal’s executive director.With files from CBC News
Sunrise ceremonies, celebrations across Canada mark National Indigenous Peoples Day
