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SOUND OFF: Orange Shirt Day and National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

Sep 29, 2021 | 10:56 AM

AS WE MARK ORANGE SHIRT DAY and the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on Sept. 30, the recent findings at former Indian Residential Schools in British Columbia and across Canada have put the need for reconciliation into sharper focus.

This Thursday, I will be wearing an orange shirt to honour residential school survivors, their families, and their communities, and to honour the children who didn’t come home. I hold up my hands to Orange Shirt Day founder Phyllis Webstad and all who have shared their stories of residential school survival: I thank them for their courage and strength.

The reality is that the truths of the residential school system have long been known. They were well-documented through the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). To move forward with reconciliation, it is critically important to acknowledge the atrocities of the residential school system and the harmful legacy that is still felt today. The findings of the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School, and at other sites in Canada, remind all of us in Canada of this true history. This is not just about our past; it is about the ongoing pain and suffering of survivors, their families and their communities.

Our government is supporting caretaker communities – those First Nations with former residential school sites in their territories – as they develop and carry out their own strategies to bring about truth-telling, healing and justice. This is difficult and painful work and I recognize all First Nations in B.C. for their continued leadership and commitment to honouring the missing children. We are also providing added resources to help Indigenous organizations that support survivors.

This year the federal government designated Sept. 30 as a National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, responding the TRC’s Call to Action #80. This day of remembrance and reflection honours survivors and ensures public commemoration of the history of residential schools and recognition of the ongoing trauma experienced by Indigenous peoples.

Many residential school survivors and their supporters advocated for this national day of commemoration, including Eddy Charlie who wrote to me as his then-Member of Parliament, asking for my support. Mr. Charlie and I took Bill C-386, An Act to establish Orange Shirt Day: A Day for Truth and Reconciliation, to Parliament in 2017. While our private member’s bill failed to pass at the time, it was an important step towards honouring and recognizing the survivors of a system that sought the destruction of Indigenous peoples and their culture.

As the provincial government develops a plan for how to recognize this day of commemoration in future years, we know that significant consultation is needed with survivors, families and communities in B.C. who have been impacted by the ongoing legacy of residential schools. We will also bring the business community, employers and labour groups into the conversation. While we continue this engagement with the aim of formally recognizing this important day in B.C. in the future, this year, public service workplaces will be observing the statutory day of remembrance and reflection.

Public commemoration of our shared history is just one of many steps that are needed to advance reconciliation. Our government will continue to work to deconstruct the colonial systems still in place and that continue to harm Indigenous peoples. We owe nothing less to future generations.

On Sept. 30, I encourage every person in British Columbia to wear an orange shirt to proclaim that every child matters and to show your support for working together with Indigenous peoples to create a better future for all of our children, in B.C. and across the entire country.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or Pattison Media.

For more information:

Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada

Support Resources:

  • KUU-US Crisis Line: 1-800-588-8717
  • Tsow-Tun-Le Lum: 1-866-403-3123
  • Indian Residential School Survivors Society Toll-Free Line: 1-800-721-0066
  • 24hr National Crisis Line: 1-866-925-4419