Innu surgeon leads walk on Mount Royal for reconciliation, Indigenous health

Dr. Stanley Vollanthas a vision.

The Innu surgeonwants to inspire Indigenous youth across Quebec to follow their dreams, while also leadinghealthy lifestyles.

That's the idea Vollant brought to Mount Royal Saturday afternoon,as dozens of people attended the first annual "Stanley Vollant Challenge," a six-kilometre walk to promote health and wellness.

"It's very symbolic," Vollant said after the inaugural walk, which took place under pouring rain and ended with a celebration featuring food and music.

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He said it was important to bring Indigenous and non-Indigenous walkers together in the spirit of reconciliation.

"My vision is to bring people to celebrate wellness and also to celebrate [being] all together, Indigenous and non-Indigenous people," he said.

The walk also marked the launch ofPuamun Meshkenu, a non-profit group Vollant founded to promote healthy living in Indigenous communities.

The namemeans "the path of a thousand dreams".

Promoting reconciliation

Since 2010,Vollanthaswalked more than 6,000 kilometres across eastern Canada, visiting Indigenous communities to talk abouthealthy living.

The first Aboriginal surgeon in Quebec, Vollantsaid his dream was "to have a better world for everybody," in which people can get to know each other.

"And to build a better country [and]a better future."

Vollant'sgoal of building bridges between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people was shared by many of the walkers.

Carol Rowan described herself as a descendant of Canadian settlers. She is married to anInukman and says reconciliation is important to her.

"When we can walk hand-in-hand with people on whose lands we are residing, perhaps we can begin to share stories and gain insights and find a place where we can be, in some ways, reconciled," Rowan said.

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Montreal Mayor DenisCoderre, who is running for re-election and came out for the walk, said the walk was taking place on what is traditionally Mohawk land and he saidVollant'sefforts were making the world a better place.

'Thebest way to get to know oneanother'

GhislainPicard, grand chief of the Assembly of First Nations ofQuebecand Labrador, said he was encouraged by the turnout on Mount Royal.

"What wouldbe beautiful is, within a few years, if we could see these types of walks happen not only in Montreal, but everywhere," Picard said.

He said efforts like Saturday's walk foster understanding between different groups of people.

Vollant said other walks took place at the same time in Lac-Simon and Val d'Or,in the Outaouais region, and inMashteuiatsh, a First Nations reserve near Roberval, Que., in theSaguenay-Lac-Saint-Jeanregion.

He said he hopes to organize 12 walks next year, 24 walks the year after that, and to have walks in all the Indigenous communities in Quebec in 2020.

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