PM Carney marks sixth National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Edmonton, calls work 'far from finished'

Prime Minister Mark Carney attended National Day for Truth and Reconciliation events in Edmonton on Wednesday, telling audiences that while progress has been made, the work remains unfinished.

"We are making some progress, but we know the work of reconciliation is far, far from finished. The wounds are still too deep. The gaps are still too wide. Reconciliation is a journey, not a destination. It's an attitude, not an achievement," Carney said.

Carney emphasized federal responsibility for the residential school system, which operated from 1857 to 1996 and forced approximately 150,000 Indigenous children into government or church-run institutions designed to assimilate them into dominant Euro-Canadian culture. "The federal government established and sustained this system, and Canada bears responsibility for the profound and enduring harm it caused," he said.

He dedicated his remarks to Indigenous children and their families in attendance, saying he came to Edmonton to hear stories, reflect on this dark chapter of Canada's past, and find a way forward together. "We shouldn't choose which parts of our history to remember … and we should not hear the truth of residential schools and fail to act on it," he said.

Governor General Louise Arbour observed her first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, with the Survivors' Flag raised on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. She urged Canadians to "listen with open hearts and reflect on the experiences shared by the survivors and their families," describing the flag as "both a symbol of warning and a symbol of hope."