Truth and Reconciliation – September 30th and Beyond

Date: September 26, 2024
Author: Gillian

Historical Context

Orange Shirt Day originated in 2013 as a grassroots movement inspired by the story of Phyllis Webstad, who had her new orange shirt taken away from her on her first day at a Residential School as a child. The orange shirt has become a symbol representing this stripping away of Indigenous identities and culture, which was a consistent and intentional occurrence within the Canadian Residential School System. 

The Residential School System, which operated for more than a century in Canada (the latest of which closed as recently as the late 1990s), forcibly removed Indigenous children from their families and communities in an attempt to assimilate them into the white, Euro-Canadian, Christian culture. This was an act of cultural genocide by the occupying colonial government and society. 

Every Child Matters arose as the slogan for Orange Shirt Day, recognizing the children who were forced from their homes, endured horrific torture, and who never returned to their families, as well as the survivors of these institutions, and the generational effects and trauma impacting Métis, Inuit, and First Nations Peoples. The slogan has also been used to reference the discoveries of unmarked graves of Indigenous children at former Residential School sites starting in 2021. These discoveries brought widespread attention to the brutal realities of the Residential School System, underscoring the importance of Reconciliation efforts and the fact that every child deserves respect and love. 

In 2008, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) was established as part of the 2007 Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement. The commission was tasked with investigating and documenting the history and ongoing impacts of the Residential School System in Canada. The TRC issued a final report in 2015 that included 94 recommendations for Reconciliation. These 94 Calls to Action are an action plan for advancing Reconciliation among Indigenous Peoples and settlers in Canada by focusing on education, supporting survivors, and addressing the deep-rooted injustices Indigenous Peoples have faced and continue to experience. 

Call to Action number 41, calling for the federal government to appoint a public inquiry into the disproportionate victimization of Aboriginal women and girls, led to the creation of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls [and Two-Spirit people] (MMIWG[2S]). The National Inquiry released their final report in 2019, which included 231 Calls for Justice aimed at enacting transformative legal and social changes to address this crisis that has devastated Indigenous communities for decades. While the official mandate of the inquiry focuses on Indigenous women and girls, the vision includes those Indigenous people in the 2SLGBTQQIA+ community as well, recognizing the disproportionate experiences with violence and harm that this intersecting group face. The phenomenon of MMIWG2S is a direct result of a colonial society that does not value or prioritize the safety, wellbeing, and inclusion of Indigenous Peoples, especially women, girls, and Two-Spirit people as those who are particularly vulnerable and targeted. 

The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation was established in response to the TRC’s Call to Action number 80, which called for a federal statutory holiday to publicly commemorate the dark history and harmful legacy of Residential Schools, and to honor Indigenous survivors, families, and communities, as a fundamental part of Reconciliation. Since 2021, this commemorative day is observed annually on September 30th in Canada. This commemorative day is closely linked to Orange Shirt Day as they occur on the same day and share a common goal of ensuring that the history, harm, and legacy of Residential Schools, cultural genocide, and colonialism are never forgotten. While the day presents opportunities for the Canadian Federal Government, RCMP, and churches to voice their apologies, acknowledge their role in the violence and devastation that was inflicted on Indigenous Peoples, and work to advance Reconciliation, there is much work yet to be done.

Supporting Indigenous Communities and Causes 

Participating in Orange Shirt Day and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is just one way to demonstrate your support and solidarity for Indigenous Peoples. This day is not a celebration, but an opportunity for learning, reflection, healing, and community building. Some ways to participate in this commemorative day include: 

  • Attending a public event or activity in your community, such as a cultural demonstration, art installation or exhibit, or memorial event honouring survivors and victims. 
  • Learn by participating in educational events, online learning, reading, or listening to stories shared by Indigenous Peoples.
  • Wearing an orange shirt to demonstrate respect for survivors and victims of the Residential School System, supporting the idea that ‘Every Child Matters.’

While recognizing this commemorative day is one mechanism to demonstrate support, your actions working toward Reconciliation should not be limited to one day of the year. Some actions that you can take at any time of the year include the following:

  • Make an intentional commitment to continuous learning, unlearning of colonial ideologies, openness, and growth to keep yourself consistent and accountable.
  • Take part in learning and community-building opportunities such as attending Indigenous-led workshops or cultural events, participating in online or in-person learning and storytelling sessions, reading and consuming Indigenous content, and taking courses.
  • Purchase from and support Indigenous businesses, artists, and creators (see the list below for people you can follow). 
  • Donate to and volunteer with Indigenous non-profit organizations, especially grassroots community initiatives and those organizations actively working to advance Truth and Reconciliation.

Included are several Indigenous artists, activists, and creators that you can support and follow: 

  1. Autumn Peltier – A young Anishinaabe water protector, Autumn Peltier is an advocate for clean water and the rights and sovereignty of Indigenous Peoples globally.
  2. Dr. James A. Makokis – A Cree Two-Spirit physician, Dr. Makokis advocates for 2SLGBTQ+ and Indigenous equity in healthcare. 
  3. T’áncháy Redvers – A Two-Spirit Dene and Métis person, T’áncháy Redvers is the co-founder of We Matter, which is dedicated to Indigenous youth hope and life promotion.
  4. Dr. Pam Palmater – A Mi’kmaq lawyer and professor, Dr. Palmater is a vocal advocate for Indigenous sovereignty, Decolonization, and justice for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG).
  5. Melina Laboucan-Massimo – A Lubicon Cree environmentalist and climate justice advocate, Melina is a champion of renewable energy projects and Indigenous rights, particularly through her organization Sacred Earth Solar.
  6. Eriel Tchekwie Deranger – An Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation activist and co-founder and Executive Director of Indigenous Climate Action, Eriel focuses on Indigenous-led climate justice and anti-colonial advocacy. 

As well, here are some Indigenous-led non-profits and other organizations to support and learn more from: 

  1. National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, University of Manitoba – “The NCTR was created as part of the mandate of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC). … The NCTR is a place of learning and dialogue where the truths of the residential school experience will be honoured and kept safe for future generations.”
  2. Yellowhead Institute – “Yellowhead Institute is an Indigenous-led research and education centre based in the Faculty of Arts at Toronto Metropolitan University. … Rooted in community networks, Yellowhead offers critical and accessible resources to support the reclamation of Indigenous land and life.”
  3. Indspire – “Indspire is an Indigenous national charity that invests in the education of First Nations, Inuit and Métis people for the long-term benefit of these individuals, their families and communities, and Canada. … We serve First Nations, Inuit, and Métis students in remote communities, rural areas and urban centres across Canada. With the support of our funding partners, we disburse financial awards, deliver programs, and share resources with the goal of increasing graduation rates for Indigenous students.”
  4. Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC) – “We are a National Indigenous Organization that defends the rights, delivers programming to, and amplifies the perspectives of Indigenous women, girls, Two-Spirit, transgender, and gender-diverse people in Canada, inclusive of First Nations – on and off reserve, status and non-status, disenfranchised – Métis, and Inuit. We were founded on the collective goal to enhance, promote, and foster the social, economic, cultural, and political well-being of Indigenous women, girls, Two-Spirit, transgender, and gender-diverse people within their respective communities and Canadian societies.”
  5. Reconciliation Canada – “Born from the vision of Chief Dr. Robert Joseph, Gwawaenuk Elder, Reconciliation Canada is leading the way in engaging Canadians in dialogue and transformative experiences that revitalize the relationships among Indigenous peoples and all Canadians.”
  6. Indigenous Watchdog – “Indigenous Watchdog is a federally registered non-profit dedicated to monitoring and reporting on how reconciliation is advancing on the critical issues that are impacting the Indigenous world – including the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 Calls to Action.” 

Truth and Reconciliation are Everyone’s Responsibility

It is critical we understand that everyone has a role in this work. Indigenous educator and scholar Nikki Sanchez is quoted saying: 

“Whether you have ancestors that were colonizers or colonized, we are all colonized people, and so this work of decolonization is really work that we need to come together to do with one another, equally accepting our roles, our locations, our privileges, and ways in which we can start to move towards a future that looks like healing, that looks like justice, that looks like dismantling systems of oppression.”

For Indigenous Peoples, nations, communities, organizations, and individuals, there is the vital responsibility of preserving and passing on traditions, culture, language, spirituality, history, and many diverse ways of knowing and being. The onus of this responsibility cannot be shouldered exclusively by Indigenous Peoples as those who faced cultural genocide, but requires work from all of us as on these lands as we collectively rebuild community relations and face the Truth in our history. 

For Black and African people who are descendants of those who were kidnapped and brought to these lands to be enslaved, there is a role in Truth and Reconciliation today in fostering relations among Black and Indigenous communities and sharing learnings and experiences. Both resource extraction and settler colonialism are responsible for the deeply entrenched global inequalities persisting today, and all oppressions are interconnected, just as all human rights are interconnected – we cannot isolate these experiences from the complex whole. While distinct movements, working toward Truth and Reconciliation is congruent with working toward Anti-Racism, as both aim to dismantle global systems of oppression that privilege white people over Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC) while recognizing our common humanity as living beings on a shared planet. 

And, for settlers on this land and on stolen or colonized lands globally, their role in Truth and Reconciliation cannot be overlooked. Colonialism instilled oppressive ideas of hierarchy and division based on people’s identities into our society and its systems, which has enabled some people, including white people, to access more power and privilege than others. This foundation continues to benefit those people belonging to ‘dominant’ social groups, which are the groups deemed most ‘valuable’ according to arbitrary colonial hierarchies (for example, colonialism involves white supremacy, patriarchy, homophobia and transphobia, ableism, xenophobia, classism…). While settlers today are largely not those individuals directly responsible for colonialism in the past, settlers – and specifically white settlers – make up a large portion of North American and Western populations and are those who continue to reap the benefits of colonialism today. As such, the role of settlers is critical to Truth and Reconciliation, as there is no Reconciliation without recognition of Truth, and Reconciliation is about repairing broken relationships to move forward together on a new and better pathway for all. 

To conclude with another quote from Nikki Sanchez: “this history is not your fault, but it is absolutely your responsibility.”

Note from the author

Gillian, a white descendent of European settlers on Turtle Island, lives on the traditional and ancestral land of the Blackfoot Confederacy (including the Siksika, Kainai, and Piikani First Nations) the Stoney Nakota Nation (including the Chiniki, Bearspaw, and Goodstoney First Nations), and the Tsuut’ina First Nation, marking Treaty 7 region in Southern ‘Alberta,’ and the historic Northwest Metis Nation of Alberta, Districts 5 and 6. Their family settled and live today on the ancestral home of the Cree, Saulteaux, Dakota, Nakota, and Lakota First Nations, marking Treaty 4 territory, and the historic NW Metis Nation of Saskatchewan. Gillian personally endeavours to unlearn colonial ideologies, learn more about local Indigenous communities, and build a reciprocal and meaningful relationship with the land as well as its original Peoples. 

Gillian recommends readers go beyond this blog to delve deeper and learn directly from those Indigenous creators, knowledge-holders, artists, organizations, and individuals willing to share their lived experience, knowledge, and insight.

Resources to Learn More

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