'It's symbolic': FSIN raises flag for residential school survivors at Marquis Downs

An orange flag that resembles the Canadian flag, was raised to honour Indigenous children who didn’t make it home from residential schools. (Tyler Barrow/CTV News)

SASKATOON -

The Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN) held a flag raising ceremony Saturday morning at Marquis Downs, but it wasn’t the traditional Canadian flag.

An orange flag, mirroring the Canadian flag was raised honour First Nations children that didn’t make it home from residential schools.

The flag also has a child’s handprint in orange toreplaces the traditional maple leaf.  The handprint is MLA Betty Nippi-Albright’s granddaughter

“We’re doing this for one common goal, to heal. But also to put this pressure on the federal government, the Catholic Church of Canada, the RCMP to release those records, to demand that the Pope apologize here at one of our residential school sites,” FSIN Chief Bobby Cameron said.

The flag was raised at Marquis Downs during the Elite Indian Relay Association’s racing event on Saturday.

“Today it’s symbolic because all the relay teams that are here, all the families and descendants survivors that are part of this important event,” Cameron said.

This was the first time the flag was raised with a ceremony but the FSIN plans to hold more flag raising events if requested by First Nation’s bands or residential school survivors.