Canada Day at The Forks highlighted reconciliation efforts, even with the rain

Canada Day at The Forks netted a smaller crowd this year due to rainy, dreary weather, but that didn’t stop the events from going ahead.

Musical performances and basketball competitions were moved under the cover of the parking lot and the CN stage.

Zach Peters, communications manager for The Forks, said the events included a lot of activities at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights designed to mark the day through a “lens of reconciliation.

“It’s really all about celebration and reflection, so that’s represented in all that we’re offering,” Peters said.

For Marilyn Dykstra, a Knowledge Keeper at the museum, making reconciliation a focus of the day was a good first step. Still, she said the day should also be about committing to a better future for Indigenous people.

“I know we can’t right the wrongs of the past, but we can make things better in the future. And when you think about it, 20 years ago, 15 years ago, maybe even five years ago, we wouldn’t be having this conversation in a national museum. We wouldn’t be doing activities like this.” she said.

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Some activities involved the making of small versions of ribbon skirts, shirts and pants, as well as learning about their place in ceremonies and as a symbol of identity.

Dykstra said she hopes the activity will help people take some of the lessons learned and apply them in their everyday lives.

“It’s also a time when we can say, ‘OK, I’ve made a piece of ribbon clothing. How am I going to work with Indigenous people to advance reconciliation?'” she said.

Events elsewhere in the city included live music and entertainment at Assiniboine Park as well as a bouncy castle, face painting and entertainment at Assiniboine Downs.

— with files from Global’s Katherine Dornian