Â鶹ӰÊÓ

Skip to main content

'I'm doing it for the children': Indigenous woman walks across Canada to raise awareness about residential schools

Share

An Indigenous woman is walking across Canada on a journey to spread awareness about residential schools.

Jasmine Lavallee, originally from The Pas, Man., had walked over 2,000 kilometres from Winnipeg to Kamloops, B.C. last year, in wake of the discovery of unmarked graves at the former site of Kamloops Indian Residential School.

"I'm doing it for the people. I'm doing it for everybody, I'm doing it for reconciliation. I want Canada to be a better tomorrow," Lavallee told CTV's Your Morning on Friday from Ignace, Ont. "I don't want what happened yesterday to happen tomorrow. I'm doing it for the children. I'm doing it for my mom. I'm doing it for everybody that can't do it themselves."

This year, she's completing the coast-to-coast journey, alongside Virgil Moar, a residential day school survivor and the son of a residential school survivor. In each community that she passes through, Lavallee has been greeted by friends and supporters who have walked with her along the way.

"When I was walking to Kamloops last year… I met a man by the name of Travis. And he sat down with me and he started talking about how in his Indigenous community, things are done in a circle," she said. "As I continued my walk and the closer I got to B.C., I started to realize what he was saying and that my journey didn't end in Kamloops… It kind of dawned on me that he was telling me that I had to keep going. "

It wasn't always this easy for Lavallee to walk like this. She was born with dislocated hips and spend the first year and a half of her life in a half-body cast. Doctors had said she would most likely have to use a wheelchair for her entire life.

Lavallee said her journey will be a "four-directional walk" across North America. After reaching Nova Scotia, she plans on walking north towards Tuktoyaktuk, Nunavut and south to New Orleans, La., while spreading the same message of truth and reconciliation.

"I am touching the ocean in each direction on behalf of elders, on behalf of survivors, on behalf of the children," she said. "I want to inspire people, you know? Show them that we care, that we love them, we hear them, we see them. I want kids to know they can do whatever they put their mind to no matter what."

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

The British Columbia election campaign is set to officially start today, with Lt.-Gov. Janet Austin issuing the writ for the Oct. 19 vote.

A northern Ontario man is facing a $12,000 fine after illegally shooting a moose near the Batchawan River.

Unusual flippered feet are making their way into the Saint Lawrence River this weekend. Led by underwater explorer and filmmaker Nathalie Lasselin, volunteer divers are combing the riverbed near Beauharnois in Montérégie to remove hundreds of tires that have been polluting the aquatic environment for decades.

A sea lion swam free after a rescue team disentangled it near Vancouver Island earlier this week.

Local Spotlight

Cole Haas is more than just an avid fan of the F.W. Johnson Wildcats football team. He's a fixture on the sidelines, a source of encouragement, and a beloved member of the team.

Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.

An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.

They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.