Downie Wenjack Fund launches 215 Pledge to honour lost children of residential schools

Following the unearthing of a mass grave under a former residential school in British Columbia, CityNews reporter Faiza Amin speaks with the three sisters of Chanie Wenjack about their ongoing pain and how the Downie Wenjack Fund is trying to help

By Faiza Amin and Meredith Bond

Posted June 4, 2021 5:43 am.

Last Updated June 4, 2021 2:57 pm.

The Gord Downie and Chanie Wenjack Fund is launching a new initiative called the 215 Pledge, to honour the lost children of residential schools.

With June being National Indigenous History Month and the recent discovery of the remains of 215 children buried at a Kamloops, B.C. residential school, the pledge is calling for Indigenous Peoples and all Canadians to urge leaders and decision-makers to take action.

Chanie Wenjack died at 12 years old in 1966 after running away from the Cecelia Jeffrey Residential School in Kenora, Ontario. Gord Downie created the Secret Path, a series of poems turned into an album and later an animated film, after hearing Wenjack’s story before launching the Downie Wenjack Fund (DWF).

The 215 Pledge represents a growing coalition for reconciliation and actions so “no missing child who died at a residential school is ever forgetting and the experiences of all affected by residential schools,” read a release from DWF.

“We are all grieving for the families of the 215 children who never returned home. This news reminds us that our work building cultural understanding and creating a path toward reconciliation only becomes more relevant and crucial as more truths are uncovered,” said DWF president and CEO Sarah Midanik.

Three of Chanie Wenjack’s sisters, Daisy Munroe, Pearl Achneepineskum and Evelyn Baxter, are all residential schools survivor. They spoke with CityNews to share the devastating long-term impact of Canada’s residential school system.

Achneepineskum shared her reaction when she first heard the news of the discovery of remains in Kamloops. “When I first heard it. It made me cry. My first thought was, we weren’t lying.”

She also recalled the painful moments from her childhood where her sister was taken away after trying to protect a young student, a story she rarely shares and one of many unheard from survivors.

Baxter, meanwhile, said she is frustrated, “I’ve heard it over and over again and nothing has been done.”

“I’ve heard talk about the abuse that has been going on, I’ve met different people, different nationalities who have gone through what we’re going through, lost loved ones. Nothing’s been done,” said Baxter.

She said lowering flags is not enough anymore, “not [for] the amount of people that we lost and the suffering that the parents endeared, our grandparents, our forefathers. That’s not enough. It’ll never be enough.”

“What’s going to be done? Are they going to start listening or is it going to be brushed under the table like the other thing?” Baxter asks.

When speaking of Gord Downie’s impact and the Downie Wenjack Fund, Munroe said “What he always wanted was for us to carry on as much as we can … to do something, however small or big it is, to do something for somebody else.”

Munroe said thanks to Downie, every time a residential school is mentioned, Chanie’s story is brought to the forefront again.

“It’s part of a legacy and it’s part of what happened to kids, when they miss home and they’re being mistreated at schools. you run away, but you end up losing your life.”

This week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau vowed the Canadian government will help unearth gravesites at other residential schools across the country, pledging $27 million.

The DWF will be hospital four virtual events this June to raise awareness about the residential school system and honour Indigenous history and culture.

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