Eventually, those 10 poems became 10 songs. While we were waiting, Gord started writing poems and began walking in Chanie’s footsteps a little bit, and that sent us in a whole different direction. We wanted a writer to come along and write a novella or story about Chanie that we could turn into a film. Q: How did the album evolve from those discussions?Ī: We started compiling research on what happened to Chanie. SPECIAL ISSUE: Maclean’s commemorates the life and legacy of Gord Downie, 1964-2017 We believed that sometimes one story can do what all those numbers can’t, which is really make you care. Gord’s gut told him that this was a story that is so universal-a little boy trying to get home. As a filmmaker travelling across the country making documentaries, I felt the same way. He was touring the country and singing about these Canadian things. Gord felt that this was a story that all Canadians needed to hear. What hit home was how little we knew about residential schools. Q: What drew you and Gord to Wenjack’s story?Ī: When I first heard the story five years ago, I shared it with Gord the very next day. Mike spoke with Maclean’s about the fund, continuing Gord’s vision for reconciliation and growing up with his brother. In 2016, they founded the Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund, an organization aimed at improving the lives of Indigenous people. Mike shared the story with Gord and together they created Secret Path, a multi-platform project that combines a music album, graphic novel and film dedicated to Wenjack’s life. The 12-year-old died while trying to walk more than 600 km to find his home. It was Mike, now a documentary filmmaker, who first learned about Chanie Wenjack, an Anishinaabe boy who ran away from a residential school near Kenora, Ont. Mike and Gord shared a bedroom, played hockey outside until they annoyed their neighbours and cheered for the Boston Bruins. Mike and his younger brother Gord Downie grew up in Amherstview, Ont., with their parents Edgar and Lorna and their siblings Charlyn, Paula and Patrick. Gord Downie performing onstage at the Secret Premiere in Toronto, on October 21, 2016.
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