Truth and reconciliation are not interchangeable, they are interconnected. Reconciliation cannot begin without truth, and truth remains hollow without the actions of reconciliation.
Truth asks us to witness the lived experiences of Survivors, families, and communities impacted by residential schools and other colonial policies. It requires confronting hard realities, including the ongoing confirmations of unmarked graves and the systemic injustices faced by Indigenous Peoples. Reconciliation invites us to act, not just on one day, but every day. It lives in how we listen, how we speak up, how we change systems, and how we hold ourselves accountable. It is a long-term, relational commitment rooted in respect, repair, and reciprocity.
As we mark Orange Shirt Day and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, let us remember the powerful words of Justice Murray Sinclair, the former Chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, advocating for reconciliation: “There will be storms, there will be obstacles, but we cannot allow ourselves to be daunted by the task because our goal is just and it is also necessary.”
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is a federal statutory holiday declared in response to Truth and Reconciliation Call to Action No. 80. In 2023, British Columbia made September 30th a statutory holiday so that more people “will be able to get involved in advancing reconciliation by participating in local commemoration or education events, having important conversations with their families, friends and communities, and finding meaningful ways to learn more about our shared history.”
Orange Shirt Day is also on September 30. The Orange Shirt Society in Williams Lake, BC, has used this date since 2013 to recognize the time of year when the priests and the RCMP came to take away the children to residential school, and to recognize the ongoing harm that the residential school system has inflicted on Indigenous communities. The orange shirt is the symbol because in 1973, when Phyllis Webstad was six years old, she was taken to St. Joseph’s Mission near Williams Lake, and on that first day, the nuns took away the beautiful orange shirt her grandmother had given her. See the story here: Phyllis Webstad – On Orange Shirt Day. – YouTube
Here are some things you can do:
- Watch this video: I Am Not a Number – YouTube
- Find out where the residential schools were located. Did you live near a residential school?
- Learn some new language! To hear each phrase, click on the speaker symbol!
- Explore cultural safety
Here are some resources to know about:
- the Indian Act
- Truth and Reconciliation Commission – 94 Calls to Action
- Honouring the Truth, Reconciling for the Future: Summary of the Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada
- United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP)
- Reclaiming Power and Place: The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
- The Survivors Speak: A Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada