Media advisory - Governor General to host youth at Rideau Hall to mark National Indigenous Peoples Day

OTTAWA, ON, June 19, 2025 /CNW/ - Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary Simon, Governor General of Canada, will engage in an interactive art activity with youth to honour National Indigenous Peoples Day and launch this season's Honouring Memories, Planting Dreams heart garden at Rideau Hall.

The Governor General and youth will create paper hearts with their own messages of reconciliation, hope and commitment, and will plant them in the heart garden on the grounds of Rideau Hall.

The heart garden remembers the First Nations, Inuit and Métis children who died in the Canadian residential school system, and those who survived. Each heart is a symbol of our collective responsibility to listen to and carry forward their stories—of pain and disappointment, strength and courage—and to commit to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada Calls to Action.

Learn more about the heart garden.

Date: June 21, 2025
Time: 1:00 p.m. 
Location: Rideau Hall – Ballroom and Visitor Centre

Notes for media:

• To guarantee your access to the event, you must confirm your attendance with the Rideau Hall Press Office at [email protected].
• Media are asked to arrive at the Princess Anne Entrance no later than 12:40 p.m. on the day of the art activity.
• Photos taken by the Governor General's official photographer can be made available upon request.

Related links:

• History, artistry and greenery on display at Rideau Hall this summer | The Governor General of Canada
• Honouring Memories, Planting Dreams | First Nations Child & Family Caring Society

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SOURCE Governor General of Canada

Media information: Rideau Hall Press Office, [email protected]