National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

September 30 has been designated National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action #80. The Calls to Action offer important direction for all levels of government, institutions and all Canadians to redress the legacy of residential schools and to advance reconciliation.

The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is a day of awareness; a day of remembrance for Indigenous people and a day of education for Canadians. It honours Survivors, their families, and communities, and ensures that public commemoration of the history and legacy of residential schools remains a vital component of the reconciliation process.

Friday, September 30, coincides with Orange Shirt Day, which is the vision of Alkali Lake Chief Fred Robbins, a Survivor of residential schools. It honours the story of Phyllis (Jack) Webstad, a six-year-old residential school student who, on her first day of residential school, had her bright new orange shirt – a gift from her grandmother – taken away from her. The orange shirt has become a symbol of remembrance of all Indigenous children who were removed from their families to attend residential schools where their language and culture were repressed. Many children experienced abuse. The painful legacy of residential schools has had long-lasting effects on residential school Survivors and their families.

For more information, please click the following links:

https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/campaigns/national-day-truth-reconciliation.html

https://www.canada.ca/en/parks-canada/news/2020/09/the-residential-school-system.html

https://www.orangeshirtday.org/

Posted on: Sep 30 2022, 8.43 AM
Category: Uncategorised