Flag raised in Canada to honor residential school survivors

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — The Canadian government has raised the Survivors’ Flag on Parliament Hill as a way to honor Indigenous Peoples forced to attend the country’s notorious residential schools. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was joined by survivors of residential schools from across the country. More than 150,000 native children in Canada were forced to attend state-funded Christian schools from the 19th century until the 1970s in an effort to isolate them from the influence of their homes and culture. The aim was to Christianize and assimilate them into mainstream society, which previous Canadian governments considered superior.  The flag will remain raised on Parliament Hill until 2024.