Across Canada, a growing movement is inviting Canadians to pause on June 30 and reflect on the resilience of Sixties Scoop Survivors, the strength of Indigenous families and the importance of belonging.
Known as National Blanket Ceremony Day, the observance was founded by Troy MacBeth Abromaitis, a Sixties Scoop Survivor and member of Lytton First Nation within the Nlaka'pamux Nation. The day seeks to honour Survivors, recognize the families and communities affected by the Sixties Scoop, and create space for healing, understanding, and reconciliation. For Troy, the journey that led to National Blanket Ceremony Day began long before the idea itself.
As a child, Troy was adopted out during the Sixties Scoop and grew up separated from his Indigenous family, culture, community and Nation. Like many Survivors, he spent years searching for answers about identity, family and belonging. While he built a successful career and dedicated himself to serving communities across Canada, the questions that many Survivors carry remained an important part of his journey.
Over time, that journey led him back to relatives, Elders, family history and community. Through those reconnections, he came to understand that the Sixties Scoop was never solely about the children who were removed. It was also about the parents who lost sons and daughters, the grandparents who never stopped wondering what happened to their grandchildren, the siblings who grew up apart and the communities that lost future generations.
Behind every child who was taken was a family whose story was forever changed. Through his own experiences, Troy witnessed both the pain caused by separation and the healing that can occur when connections are restored. Those lessons became the foundation for what would eventually become National Blanket Ceremony Day.
A defining moment in Troy's journey came when members of the Drynock family and the Nicomen community welcomed him home through a traditional Blanket Ceremony. During the ceremony, he was honoured with the ancestral Nlaka'pamux name Lex7em'ken, recognizing both his reconnection to family and his responsibilities to community.
For Troy, the experience represented far more than a ceremonial event. As a Sixties Scoop Survivor who had been adopted away from his Indigenous family, culture and Nation, the ceremony marked a profound moment of belonging. Surrounded by family, Elders and community members, he experienced the power of being welcomed home and embraced as part of a larger family and community. The ceremony helped him understand that reconciliation is not only about acknowledging the past. It is also about rebuilding relationships, restoring connections, and creating opportunities for healing.
The generosity and support shown by the Drynock family and the Nicomen community left a lasting impact. The experience became the inspiration for National Blanket Ceremony Day and its central message: every Sixties Scoop Survivor deserves the opportunity to reconnect with family, culture, community and identity.
For Troy, the blanket came to symbolize homecoming, belonging and hope. It became a reminder that while separation may have been part of many Survivors' stories, it does not have to be the end of the story. Across many Indigenous cultures, blankets hold profound significance. They can symbolize honour, protection, love, respect and belonging. They are often presented during important milestones and ceremonies, recognizing both individual achievement and a person's connection to family, community, and Nation.
National Blanket Ceremony Day carries those teachings forward on a national scale. Observed annually on June 30, the day creates space for reflection, education and healing. Positioned immediately before Canada Day, it invites Canadians to consider the full story of the country—its accomplishments, its challenges and the ongoing journey toward reconciliation. It is an opportunity to honour the resilience of Sixties Scoop Survivors while acknowledging the families and communities that carried the impacts of separation across generations.
The date also carries personal significance for Troy. June 30 marks the anniversary of the devastating 2021 wildfire that destroyed much of the Village of Lytton and profoundly affected the surrounding communities, including Lytton First Nation. In many ways, the date represents two journeys of rebuilding. One is the rebuilding of homes, infrastructure and community after disaster. The other is the rebuilding of family connections, cultural identity and belonging after separation through the Sixties Scoop.
Both journeys are rooted in resilience. Both require support. And both demonstrate the power of people coming together during difficult times. National Blanket Ceremony Day recognizes that the impacts of the Sixties Scoop extended far beyond those who were removed. It also affected mothers and fathers who lost children, grandparents who never stopped searching, siblings who grew up apart, and communities that carried that loss for generations.
The observance honours those families and acknowledges that healing extends beyond individuals to entire families and Nations. What began as one Survivor's journey has grown into a national movement. Through outreach to Indigenous Nations, municipalities, provincial and territorial governments, educational institutions, Members of Parliament, Senators, and national Indigenous organizations, support for National Blanket Ceremony Day continues to expand across Canada. The vision is simple but powerful: to ensure that the stories of Sixties Scoop Survivors are remembered, their resilience is honoured, and their contributions are recognized.
One of the most visible expressions of this growing movement is the annual illumination of Niagara Falls in recognition of Sixties Scoop Survivors. When Niagara Falls is illuminated on June 30, the light becomes more than a tribute. It serves as a national symbol of recognition, remembrance, and hope. Supporters often describe it as "blanketing Canada"—extending a message of honour and belonging from one of the country's most recognizable landmarks to communities from coast to coast to coast.
The illumination carries a simple but powerful message: Survivors are seen. Survivors are valued. Survivors belong. It also reflects the broader vision behind National Blanket Ceremony Day. The hope is that one day June 30 will be recognized in every province and territory, every municipality, every Indigenous Nation, every school and every community across Canada. More importantly, it is a call for Canadians to listen, learn and better understand the experiences of Sixties Scoop Survivors and their families.
National Blanket Ceremony Day is not about assigning blame. It is about fostering understanding. It is about creating opportunities for healing. It is about recognizing resilience while honouring the truth of what Survivors and families endured. The day asks Canadians to understand that the impacts of the Sixties Scoop are not confined to the past. They continue to be felt through families and communities today. Yet it also reminds us that Survivors are not defined solely by what was taken from them. They are defined by their strength, perseverance, leadership, culture, love, and courage.
For Troy, the message remains simple. Every Survivor deserves to know they are remembered. Every family deserves the opportunity to reconnect. Every person deserves a place where they belong. National Blanket Ceremony Day is an invitation to honour those truths. It is a reminder that healing begins with recognition, grows through connection, and flourishes when people come together in the spirit of respect, compassion, and reconciliation. Above all, it reminds us that every journey home deserves to be honoured.
Troy MacBeth Abromaitis is a member of the Indigenous Action Committee at University Canada West.
