On September 30, we will be observing Orange Shirt Day and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. This is a new federal statutory holiday. This is the day everyone wears orange to remember the First Nations children who were sent to residential schools and never returned, and to honour the Survivors, their families, and their communities.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) was created between Residential Schools Survivors, the Assembly of First Nations, Inuit representatives and the parties responsible for the creation and operation of the schools: the federal government and the church bodies. The TRC was also advised by a ten-member Indian Residential Schools Survivor Committee, made up of residential school Survivors from across Canada.
When the TRC released its final report in 2015, it came with ninety-four calls to action demanding action by governments across Canada on a wide range of reconciliation initiatives.
The TRC hosted national events in different regions across Canada to promote awareness and public education about the residential school system and its impacts. They also supported community events designed by individual communities to meet their unique needs.
Of the ninety-four recommendations made by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada Calls to Action, only a few have been implemented. The TRC call to action is making progress — but not quickly enough for many Survivors, their families, and Indigenous communities. One of the calls to action has to do with Child welfare. Native children are on average the most apprehended by Child Welfare systems. You could say the cultural genocide is still occurring. 53.8% of children in foster care under fourteen are Indigenous.
The Survivors’ Secretariat was established in 2021 to organize and support efforts to uncover, document and share the truth about what happened at the Mohawk Institute during its 140 years of operation. After the closing of the Mohawk Institute its name was changed to the Woodland Cultural Centre.
The Centre serves to preserve, promote and strengthen Indigenous language, culture, art, and history of the Rotinahshonni people through innovative exhibitions and programs.
The TRC provides a platform for survivors to tell their stories and the TRCs acknowledge their suffering and loss. The TRC has led to major changes in how Canadians understand history, especially regarding Indigenous treatment. However, the term “reconciliation” remains controversial among Indigenous communities due to the lack of accompanying action.
Lenora Maracle
UNE National Equity Representative for Indigenous Members