In conjunction with the release of Secret Path, the forthcoming album, book, and film, Gord Downie has announced two live shows, in Ottawa (October 18) and Toronto (October 21), with proceeds directed to reconciliation. Full details below.
Secret Path is ten songs that tell the story of Chanie Wenjack (miscalled “Charlie” by his teachers), a twelve year-old boy who died fleeing the Cecilia Jeffrey Indian Residential School near Kenora, Ontario, fifty years ago, walking home to the family he was taken from over 400 miles away. Downie was introduced to the story by his brother Mike Downie, who shared with him Ian Adams’ Maclean’s article from February 6, 1967, “The Lonely Death of Charlie Wenjack.”
“Chanie haunts me. His story is Canada’s story. This is about Canada… The next hundred years are going to be painful as we get to know Chanie Wenjack and thousands like him – as we find out about ourselves, about all of us – but only when we do can we truly call ourselves, Canada.” – Gord Downie
Secret Path acknowledges a dark part of Canada’s history – the long-suppressed mistreatment of Indigenous children and families by the residential school system – with the hope of starting our country on a road to reconciliation. Every year as Chanie Wenjack is remembered, the hope for Secret Path is that it educates all Canadians young and old on this omitted part of the country’s history, urging us all to play an active role in the preservation of Indigenous lives and culture in Canada.
Secret Path will arrive on October 18, 2016, in a deluxe vinyl and book edition, and as a book with album download. Pre-order HERE.
The Secret Path animated film will be broadcast by CBC in an hour-long commercial-free television special on Sunday, October 23, 2016, at 9pm (9:30 NT).
Tuesday, October 18, 2016
Ottawa, ON – Southam Hall, National Arts Centre
Friday, October 21, 2016
Toronto, ON – Roy Thomson Hall
