Every Child Matters flag hoisted for the first time outside the Whitehorse RCMP Detachment for National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

October 3, 2022

To mark the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on Friday, September 30, 2022, Whitehorse RCMP Detachment hoisted an Every Child Matters flag in front of the headquarters on 4th Avenue. The flag was a gift from Kwanlin Dün First Nation (KDFN) to Yukon RCMP.

KDFN Chief Doris Bill and Elder Judy Gingell presented the orange flag to Whitehorse RCMP Detachment Commander Insp. Lindsay Ellis and Cpl. Adam Lightfoot, Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge of the Kwanlin Dün Policing Unit. The flagpoles in front of the building are beside the Heart Garden, another visual symbol of the Whitehorse RCMP’s commitment to reconciliation and strengthening relationships with Yukon First Nations.

“Shä̀w níthän to the Yukon RCMP for raising this flag in front of the Whitehorse detachment for the first time to show their commitment to moving forward in a good way. It’s important that this message, Every Child Matters, is seen and heard throughout our community, so that every child and every citizen knows that our shared future will be brighter than our past,” says Kwanlin Dün First Nation Chief Doris Bill.

“Yukon RCMP are honoured and humbled by this gift from KDFN as we take action towards reconciliation,” says C/Supt. Scott Sheppard, Commanding Officer of the Yukon RCMP. “Having this flag flying in front of Yukon RCMP Headquarters was a symbol of more than just our commitment to safer and healthier First Nations communities. The fact that the flag was a gift from Kwanlin Dün First Nation reflects our shared vision towards relationship building.”

Reconciliation is not a single event or a task to be completed. It is a commitment to fostering a respectful relationship with First Nation peoples and communities, done in good faith, honour and fairness. Each positive act of reconciliation should not be viewed as an accomplishment unto itself, but as a small step along a continuum. Effectively, reconciliation is a lens through which we monitor our decisions and actions, always with a view to the future.

The Every Child Matter flag was flown from sun up to sun down on September 30, 2022, temporarily replacing the Indigenous Ensign which has been flown since the planting of the Heart Garden in June of 2022.

–30–

Contact information

Cst. C. McCann
Whitehorse RCMP
4100 4th Avenue, Whitehorse, YT

NT5