Indigenous broadcaster APTN, public broadcaster CBC/Radio-Canada and the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR) announced last week they are once again partnering to produce Remembering the Children: National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, the annual national commemorative gathering in Ottawa.
Supported by Canadian Heritage, the 90-minute live event Remembering the Children “will share the powerful truths of residential school Survivors and pay moving tribute to the children who never made it home,” says a CBC press release.
Hosted by Earl Wood and Melissa Mollen Dupuis, the multilingual commemorative event will encompass reflections from survivors Lucien Wabanonik, Charlotte Nolin, Richard Kistabish and Reepa Evic-Carleton. In addition, there will be performances by First Nations, Inuit and Métis artists including the Eagle River Drum Group, DeeDee Austin, Burnstick, Julian Taylor and Susan Aglukark.
The event will be presented in English, French and Plains Cree and will take place on Parliament Hill beginning at 3 p.m. ET on Sept. 30. It will be available live on APTN, APTN Languages, aptnnews.ca, CBC TV, CBC News Network, CBC Gem, the CBC News streaming channel, cbcnews.ca, the CBC News app, the CBC News YouTube channel, ICI Télé, ICI TOU.TV, Radio-Canada.ca and Espaces autochtones.
APTN channel broadcast times are as follows:
- APTN (English) – 3 p.m. ET
- APTN (French) – 7 p.m. ET
- APTN Languages (Plains Cree) – 3 p.m. ET
- APTN Languages (Inuktitut) – 4:30 p.m. ET
- APTN Languages (Ojibway) – 6:30 p.m. ET
- APTN Languages (Innu-aimun) – 8 p.m. ET
Leading up to the event, APTN News will present a 30-minute pre-show live from Ottawa at 2:30 p.m. ET hosted by Creeson Agecoutay, who will provide live updates from Parliament Hill, covering the event’s happenings on location. In Winnipeg, Dennis Ward will host in studio with a special guest.
The broadcast of Remembering the Children will be available to stream on APTN lumi as of Oct. 2.
The event will also be made available to all Canadian broadcasters to ensure audiences across the country can tune in and join on the collective journey towards reconciliation, CBC said in its press release.
Participating networks include:
- AMI-tv and AMI-télé
- APTN
- Blue Ant Media
- CBC
- Channel Zero
- CHEK-TV Victoria
- Citytv stations in Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver and Winnipeg
- CPAC
- CTV2
- CTV News Channel
- Fight Network
- Game+
- Game TV
- Hollywood Suite
- Knowledge
- OUTtv
- Radio-Canada
- TFO
- TV5/Unis TV
Radio partners include:
- CIHW-FM – 100.3 FM
- CKHC-FM – 96.9 FM Radio Humber
- CKRK-FM – K103.7 FM
- MBC Radio
- SiriusXM – The Indigiverse
- SiriusXM – Top of the Country
- TNI – 94.1 FM
- Tŝilhqot’in Radio – 104.5 FM
CBC Radio will also broadcast a special evening program hosted by Falen Johnson at 8 p.m./8:30 p.m. NT that will include highlights from the events earlier in the day as well as interviews from across the country. The event will also be rebroadcast on ICI RDI at 10 p.m. ET.
“CBC/Radio-Canada remains committed to reflecting the realities of First Nations, Inuit and Métis, and their respective histories. As the national public broadcaster, we have a responsibility to help Canadians better understand and remember these experiences. Programming on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, which we broadcast in partnership with the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation and APTN, is a vital part of that work,” said Marie-Philippe Bouchard, president and CEO of CBC/Radio-Canada, in the press release.
“For over 25 years, APTN has been committed to sharing the voices and truths of Indigenous Peoples,” said APTN CEO Monika Ille, in a statement. “Remembering the Children is more than a commemorative gathering, it is a space for Survivors to be heard, for stories to be honoured and for all Canadians to reflect and act. As part of our continued commitment, APTN will also broadcast a full day of special programming on September 30 to honour residential school Survivors, their families and their communities. Through the power of Indigenous storytelling and languages, we continue to walk together on the path toward truth, healing and reconciliation.”
APTN’s Sept. 30 programming lineup will feature a range of educational and thought-provoking series and documentaries including the premieres of Spirit to Soar, The Good Canadian and Twice Colonized, along with Reconciliation and Me, WaaPaKe (Tomorrow), We Were Children and a special episode of Face to Face. More APTN programming details are available here.
Image courtesy of CBC
