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Honouring residential school survivors with the Survivors’ flag

Also in Truth and reconciliation
  • St. Mary Magdalene Anglican Church in Winnipeg raised the Survivors’ flag in September 2023.
  • St. Matthew’s in Windsor displays the Survivors’ flag in “recognition of the responsibility to remember and deepen our commitment to restorative justice and true reconciliation”.
  • The Diocese of Eastern Newfoundland & Labrador displays the Survivors’ flag in St. John’s, N.L. Here, Bishop Sam Rose and Archdeacon Charlene Taylor are outside the Anglican Cathedral of St. John the Baptist.
  • On the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation 2025, the Diocese of Niagara raised the Survivor’s flag in front of Christ’s Church Cathedral in Hamilton, Ont.
  • The Diocese of Niagara gathers in front of Christ’s Church Cathedral in Hamilton, Ont.
  • Survivors’ flag at Christ Church Cathedral, Victoria, B.C.
  • St. Mary’s Anglican Church in Sorrento, B.C. flies the Every Child Matters flag.
  • The Survivor’s flag is displayed in the foyer of Christ Church Cathedral in Ottawa. Its permanent home will be in the Cathedral’s Chapel of Reconciliation.
  • St. Augustine’s Anglican Church in Lethbridge, Alta. displays the Survivors’ flag with additional information and background to encourage and inform reconciliation efforts in the parish.
  • The Survivors’ flag flies at St. James Anglican Church in Kentville, N.S.
  • The Survivors’ flag is displayed in the chancel of St. John the Apostle in Port Moody, B.C.
  • At St. George’s Anglican Church, on Katzie and Kwantlen lands, an Every Child Matters flag is flown most of the year. In 2025, the outreach team purchased a Survivors’ flag so large, it was used it as an altar covering.
Orange and white Survivors' Flag flying on a flagpole against a clear blue sky

The Survivors’ flag, created through the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR) in consultation with residential school survivors across Canada, is a symbol of remembrance and respect. It honours the experiences of survivors and the lasting impact on families and communities.

A call from the Primate

At Sacred Circle 2025, a residential school survivor shared with Primate Shane Parker a story of a ceremony she had attended where a Survivors’ flag was raised. She asked, “If a large corporation can do this, why can’t our churches?” Her question inspired Primate Shane Parker to call on all Anglican parishes to display the Survivors’ flag as a symbol of recognition, respect and hope.

Read the Primate’s invitation

Displaying the Survivors’ flag in your parish

Flags are available through the NCTR, with purchases supporting education programs and survivor initiatives. Parishes are encouraged to take photos of the Survivors’ flag displayed in their communities and share them online. Each image contributes to a living record of the Church’s ongoing commitment to remembrance and reconciliation.

Purchase a Survivors’ flag

Resources for learning and prayer

Parishes and individuals are also encouraged to explore these resources to strengthen understanding, support meaningful reflection, and incorporate prayer into our collective journey of reconciliation:

Acknowledging the land and God’s creation

This acknowledgement is crafted in light of the Principles of Reconciliation by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, as we seek to live faithfully in Christ and in right relationship with all. 

We give thanks to the Creator for this land, its waters, forests and all living beings, and for the abiding presence of Christ among us. From coast to coast to coast, these have been cared for and nurtured by First Nations, Inuit and Métis through countless generations. 

We honour the enduring relationship Indigenous Peoples have cultivated with these lands and waters, and the treaties and agreements that reflect these sacred bonds. We acknowledge the harms caused by colonial expansion, through frameworks like the Doctrine of Discovery and structures like the residential school system. We recognize our past failures as a Church, including disruption of connections to the land and suppression of Indigenous spiritualities. 

Guided by the gospel of Jesus Christ, we confess our need for healing. We commit ourselves to seeking truth, pursuing reconciliation and nurturing harmony with all creation. We place our trust in Christ, through whom all things are reconciled to God. 

May God strengthen us to live faithfully as stewards of the Earth. Let us walk in love, justice and reconciliation, joining in God’s work to restore all creation.