Today is National Aboriginal Day.
Events are taking place across the country to mark the day and acknowledge the contributions and history of First Nations peoples in Canada.
The Interim Director of Aboriginal Education at North Island College, Lou-Ann Neel says the day, which began in 1996, is also a chance to raise awareness of the dark history of what happened to First Nations.
“If we’re going to reconcile any of that, one of the first biggest steps is acknowledging and recognizing that that past exists. We can’t just leave it sitting there, we have to talk about it.”
Neel says National Aboriginal Day has helped to build bridges of understanding between aboriginal and non-aboriginal people.
