It was the biggest, most diverse gathering of people I'd ever seen at a demonstration related to indigenous issues.

On a warm, sunny spring morning in Gatineau, Que., thousands of people gathered to remember historic horrors, heal the victims of abuse, and build new relationships in hopes of fostering a sense of honour in a damaged country.

The Walk for Reconciliation on May 31, 2015, kicked off the final national event of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.

In the days that followed, the TRC would release its initial findings and 94 calls to action from its six-year probe of Canada's Indian Residential School system.

I was assigned to cover the walk for local and national television and radio news. It was a proud honour for me to be entrusted to interview residential school survivors and their supporters, and to report on the huge, historic event for viewers and listeners across Canada.

As the opening of the TRC's final major event, the march itself marked the beginning of the end of a momentous, emotional chapter for many survivors — one that began with the federal government's apology in 2008 for the suffering created by residential schools.

From apology to calls to action

It was also a significant milestone for me as a reporter, having covered the apology for CBC at a downtown hotel in Winnipeg in 2008, and subsequent TRC events in the years that followed.

I woke up feeling a little anxious that morning, not really knowing what to expect during the nearly five-kilometre walk.

Waubgeshig Rice interviews Avery Hare on the Walk for Reconciliation. (Sarah Onyango/Facebook) Camera operator Vincent Gaboury and I arrived in the parking lot of École secondaire de l'Ile on the outskirts of downtown Gatineau. There was already a crowd of thousands, and it was growing. Survivors, their families, supporters, politicians, and more were there for prayers, songs, and speeches before departing.

Most of the survivors were easy to spot. They wore red t-shirts with the words "Survivors for Reconciliation" printed on the back in white. And those that I saw smiled widely, hugging old friends, even joking and laughing with each other.

The smell of burning sage powered through the spring air as people smudged. There was an overwhelming sense of celebration and relief among many who were getting ready to march, a stark contrast to the tense anticipation in that Winnipeg hotel ballroom seven years earlier.

Vincent and I began to interview survivors who, despite all the abuse and suffering they endured as children, spoke of forgiveness, unity, compassion, and reconciliation.

The hope and the positivity they displayed that day was remarkable, and their warmth eased me into the moment.

A handful of drummers laid the opening beat for the songs that wouldn't stop until the end of the march, and survivors and their supporters started walking through downtown Gatineau. Thousands of others joined along the way.

By the time they crossed the Portage Bridge over the Ottawa River, it had grown into something I'd never witnessed before in my life.

Debbie Stephens holds an eagle feather as she pauses before the start of the walk for reconciliation, part of the closing events of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission on Sunday in Gatineau, Que. (The Canadian Press) Marchers from all visible backgrounds carried signs together, or walked arm in arm. It was impressive to see so many people joining together to acknowledge Canada's history of brutal racism, in the spirit of helping those victimized by it — and in the hopes of creating a better future.

City of Ottawa officials estimated nearly 10,000 people took part in the Walk for Reconciliation, which gradually advanced along Wellington Street past Parliament Hill into downtown Ottawa. That's where Vincent and I had to leave the demonstration and return to the CBC building nearby in order to make our deadlines.

Finding light in the darkness

Still, the triumphant buzz of the event stayed with me for the rest of the day. Although I have no direct connection to the residential school experience, I was raised with the knowledge of a vicious system that was predominantly violent and wrong. To see the people who endured that darkness find a new light was exhilarating.

But not every survivor is there yet. This was a relatively small sample size, and I'm not naive enough to believe that everyone who bore that experience is ready to move forward happily and embrace reconciliation.

Instead, at the core, this particular moment was about celebrating the monumental efforts of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. It opened a country's eyes to the ugly underbelly of Canadian history, and encouraged thousands of people on a sunny spring Sunday to walk together to ensure atrocities like residential schools never again happen on this land.

Watching history unfold before your eyes, and then telling the rest of the country about it, is one of the greatest privileges of being a journalist. I was extremely grateful just to be there to capture some of the powerful spirit of that day.