Gord Downie to perform at NAC next month

_ (press release) _ **

 Tuesday, September 20, 2016// Ottawa, ON

**

—In conjunction


with the release of

_

 Secret Path

_

, the forthcoming album, book and film,

**

 Gord Downie

**

has announced two live shows, in Ottawa (Oct 18), as part of the NAC Presents music series, and in Toronto (Oct 21). Proceeds will be directed to reconciliation.

_

 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 magazine story 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 come 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

**

**

 To read Gord Downie’s full statement on

_
 
  Secret Path
 
_

 from September 9, 2016, go

**

[ **

  here
 
**

](http://secretpath.ca/)

.

_

 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 the 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 its history, urging the entire nation to play an active role in the preservation of Indigenous lives and culture in Canada.








FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE SECRET PATH:

[

 secretpath.ca

](http://www.secretpath.ca/)

WATCH THE SECRET PATH TRAILER:

[

 youtube.com/watch?v=ZGYnQx2R4nE

](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGYnQx2R4nE)

**

ABOUT NAC PRESENTS

**

The 2016–17 season marks the sixth anniversary of NAC Presents, the NAC’s dynamic all-Canadian music series. From cutting-edge circus to Canadian music icons and GRAMMY-nominated songwriters, NAC Presents brings this country’s most exciting and vibrant artists to the national stage, and celebrates the diversity of our musical landscape.








NAC Presents thanks title partner

[

 BMO Financial Group

](https://www.bmo.com/main/personal)

for their long-standing leadership support of this series. NAC Presents is grateful to the Slaight Family Foundation, whose

[

 Slaight Family Fund for Emerging Artists

](http://www.slaightmusic.com/)

supports performances by emerging artists featured in the NAC Presents 2016–17 season. They include

**

 Jadea Kelly

**

with guests

**

 Sweet Alibi

**

,

**

 Andy Shauf

**

,

**

 Jason Bajada

**

,

**

Bïa

**

,

**

Joëlle Saint-Pierre

**

,

**

 MISC

**

,

**

Jessica Mitchell

**

,

**

Ria Mae

**

and

**

 The Abrams.

**

NAC Presents would also like to acknowledge its official hotel partner,

Hotel Indigo Ottawa

, and the official car of NAC Presents,

Mark Motors of Ottawa – Audi

.