September 30, 2024 – Today is Canada’s National Day for Truth and Reconciliation – an important day for Canadians to honour and remember the children who never returned home, Survivors of residential schools, and their families and communities.
Today is also a day for Canadians to reflect upon their role in reconciliation – because every Canadian has a role to play. For there to be true reconciliation we must listen; we must seek out stories from First Nations, Métis, and Inuit knowledge keepers; we must reflect on the relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples; and we must take action.
Today is also Orange Shirt Day – an important day recognized in schools and beyond. The day is named in recognition of a movement started by residential school survivor, Phyllis Webstad, a member of the Stswecem’c Xgat’tem First Nation. On her first day at a residential school in Williams Lake, B.C., her new orange shirt was stripped from her and never seen again. By wearing orange, we declare that Every Child Matters, and we also commit to ending racism and bullying – in schools and everywhere.
As part of the reconciliation process, all Canadians are compelled to commemorate the true history and legacy of residential schools across Canada – so that Phyllis’ story and the story of thousands of other children, too many of whom never came home, are never forgotten.
To find out more about what you can do to participate in reconciliation, visit the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation.
