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