National Day of Truth and Reconciliation supporters donned orange shirts and buttons in Belleville on Tuesday to observe the continued struggle by Canada’s Indigenous people for parity on historical lands.

Coun. Sean Kelly, chair of Belleville’s Equity and Diversity Committee, hosted Tuesday’s event from the Parrott Stage at City Hall and framed the historical context of the day, also known as Orange Shirt Day across Canada.

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“From the 1870s to the 1990s, more than 130 residential schools operated in Canada, many children suffered emotional, physical and sexual abuse and were forbidden to speak their language or practise their culture,” Kelly said. “In 2050 the truth of reconciliation commission released 94 calls to action. Now 10 years later, 17 of these have been com

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