National Day for Truth and Reconciliation & Orange Shirt Day
The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day serve as an opportunity for Canadians to reflect upon the history of residential schools, and work towards reconciliation.
By: Kathleen Baker, Partner, CogniProbe Solutions Inc.
September 30 is Canada’s National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. The day honours Survivors, families and communities of Canada’s residential school system, and remembers the children who never came home. September 30th is also Orange Shirt Day, a grassroots initiative to raise awareness about the impacts of residential schools, encouraging people to wear an orange shirt to symbolize every child matters. It began in 2013 and was inspired by the story of Phyllis Webstad, a residential school survivor who, on her first day of school, had her orange shirt taken away from her. The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day serve as an opportunity for Canadians to reflect upon the history of residential schools, and work towards reconciliation.
Residential schools were networks of institutions that operated across Canada for more than 150 years between the 1830s and 1996. Funded by the federal government and administered by churches, residential schools were created to separate Aboriginal children from their families, weaken family ties and cultural linkages, and indoctrinate children into Euro-Christian Canadian society. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC), a Commission created to investigate and document the history and legacy of Canada’s residential school system concluded that, residential schools were “a systematic, government- sponsored attempt to destroy Aboriginal cultures and languages and to assimilate Aboriginal peoples so that they no longer existed as distinct peoples”. More than 150,000 First Nations, Inuit and Métis Nation children were taken from their families and communities to attend residential schools often located far from their homes. Many Indigenous children died while attending residential schools; the unmarked graves found across Canada through investigations continue to bear witness to the thousands of children who never returned home.
The residential school system created multi-layered trauma and intergenerational impacts on Indigenous Survivors, families and communities, the impacts of which continue to be felt today. Children experienced abuse, malnutrition and neglect. Children were punished for speaking their own languages or participating in cultural practices. The schools disrupted family connections and weakened community ties. The education was underfunded, and substandard. The legacy of residential schools continues to have lasting impacts on Indigenous communities, contributing to struggles with personal and cultural identity, overrepresentation in child welfare, and economic and social inequities.
As part of Canada’s colonial history, educating ourselves on the history and impact of the residential school system is an important part of reconciliation, but it doesn’t stop there. Reconciliation is an ongoing process to decolonize and build respectful relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. It includes actions that recognize and change the colonial policies that cause harm, support Indigenous healing and justice, support the revitalization of Indigenous cultures and traditions, create space for Indigenous leadership and decision making, and many more. Today, there are so many amazing examples of Indigenous language revitalization, youth leadership, self-determination, economic development, fashion, media, mental health and wellness that are happening all over that are positive and powerful examples of community resilience and strength.
In 2015, the TRC released 94 Calls to Action to redress the legacy of residential schools and advance the process of Canadian reconciliation. The calls to action focus on broad themes, from child welfare, education, language and culture, health, justice, commemoration, media, reconciliation and public awareness. They are a set of guiding actions for governments, institutions, and individuals to work towards, that acknowledge the harms of residential schools, address systemic inequities faced by Indigenous communities, protect Indigenous culture and language, and advance reconciliation.
This September 30th, we encourage you to take part, if you can, in education events happening in and around your community and take time to learn about the history of residential schools. We all have a responsibility to take meaningful action towards strengthening reconciliation.