Municipality of Cumberland Mayor Murray Scott, Deputy Mayor Mark Joseph and District 7 Coun. Dale Porter were joined by Indigenous Services Canada (Atlantic Region) Associate Regional Director General Tammy Drew on Friday, Sept. 29, 2023, in raising the flag and signing a proclamation to mark National Truth and Reconciliation Day on Sept. 30 – a day that ensures the tragic history and ongoing legacy of residential schools will never be forgotten.
Honouring First Nations, Inuit and Metis children who lost their lives attending residential schools as well as residential school survivors, their families and communities is an all-important step towards reconciliation.
Mayor Murray Scott was joined by Deputy Mayor Mark Joseph, Coun. Dale Porter and Tammy Drew from Indigenous Services in raising the flag in honour of National Truth & Reconciliation Day on Sept. 30 and Treaty Day on Oct. 1. Darrell Cole - Municipality of Cumberland photo
Flags at all municipal properties are at half-staff until Tuesday morning in recognition of National Truth and Reconciliation Day.
They also signed a proclamation marking Treaty Day on Oct. 2, to commemorate the unique and special relationship that exists between the Mi’kmaq and the Crown.
Treaty Day recognizes the 1985 Supreme Court ruling confirmed the validity of the Treaty of 1752.
In 1986, Grand Chief of the Mi’kmaq Nation Donald Marshall Sr. invited all Mi’kmaw to observe Oct. 1, 1986 and every year after as Treaty Day.
Through events held to mark the occasion, Nova Scotians must become more aware of the Mi’kmaq Nation and its history, which will only enrich their own cultural and historical knowledge of the Mi’kmaq, but will also enable the Mi’kmaq Nation to be recognized in a manner in which they are deserving.
Treaty Day also signals the beginning of Mi’kmaq History Month that runs through October.