When Melanie Cormier would see the Every Child Matters flag on display at local Catholic schools for Truth and Reconciliation Day, the Mississauga, Ont. mother would feel welcomed.

Cormier is Oji-Cree from Bearskin Lake First Nation in northwestern Ontario. Many of her relatives, including her mother, are residential school survivors, and Cormier often visits schools to give presentations about Indigenous history and culture as well as the legacy of residential schools.

"As a parent, I knew that I would feel welcome in there. I knew that it would be a safe place to tell my story and to tell my family's story about … the intergenerational harms from residential school," said Cormier, who has two daughters that attend schools run by the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board (DPCDSB)

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