September 30 is National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. It is an important day for Canadians and Indigenous communities to remember, mourn, and honour the survivors and children that have been lost to residential schools.
From 1831 to 1996, residential schools were funded by the Canadian federal government and run by religious institutions. The mission of residential schools was to assimilate Indigenous Children into Canadian society, Sir John A MacDonald, first Canadian Prime Minister concisely said, “take the Indian out of the child.”
Forced assimilation in residential schools separated Indigenous children from their families, communities, and culture. Often, the children would be sent to schools far from their homes (in some cases, across the country), making it hard for them to hold on to their native languages and customs. Many children faced physical, verbal, emotional, and sexual abuse at the hands of their educators and religious institutions, leading to inter-generational trauma and causing a disconnect between future generations and their cultures.
The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, also known as Orange Shirt Day, started with Phyllis Webstad. Phyllis is a residential school survivor, who attended St. Joseph Mission Residential School (SJM) in BC. In 2013, she shared her story at a commemoration project event about her first day at SJM, she was stripped of her clothes, and her brand-new orange t-shirt that had been gifted to her from her granny was never seen again. This struck a chord with many other survivors and reconciliation supporters, many saw symbolism between clothing being taken away and Indigenous children being alienated from their culture, language, and community.
“We chose September [for Orange Shirt Day] because that’s when kids went back to school — that’s when they were taken away,” Webstad says, adding that it felt divinely guided. “[That fall] when I went to the TRC event in Vancouver, [I was] sitting there listening to the truths being told, and an Elder sitting not far from me was talking, and she said that September was ‘crying month’ — and I knew then that we had chosen the right day.” – Phyllis Webstad
The first Orange Shirt day was in 2013, Phyllis brought the idea forward to the Cariboo Regional District, B.C. School District [#27]. The phrase “Every child Matters” became the message behind it.
In 2021, the country was rocked by the Kamloops Residential School discovery. In the yard of Kamloops Residential School, 215 unmarked graves of Indigenous children were found using sonar technology. Since then, searches have been conducted across Canada at former residential school sites, finding more than 2,300 remains in unmarked graves. Many Canadians wanted to find a way to support survivors and their families in the wake of the news and found the Orange Shirt Day movement. With millions of Canadians, and people worldwide calling for accountability, in 2022, September 30 was made into an official day of remembrance by the federal government, now known as the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
Creating a day of mourning does not answer the other 93 calls to action on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. So, you’re wondering, how can I continue working towards reconciliation?
Canadian commerce, like the AEC industry, needs to continue working towards being a more inclusive place for Indigenous, Metis, and Inuk people. Making a shift in inclusivity involves meeting the TRC, like Call to Action 92, committing to consultation and informed consent of Indigenous peoples, creating equal job opportunities, cultural awareness training and education, and creating an anti-racism workplace culture.
As a company, Chandos is working to build Indigenous prosperity with shared solutions for health, education, water, and the environment. We’re doing this through Indigenous talent acquisition, Indigenous project participation through social procurement, cultural awareness training, and engaging on projects with Nations that help build Indigenous Sovereignty like the University of Victoria National Centre for Indigenous Law, in Victoria, BC, where our teams are building an academic facility for the world’s first joint degree in Indigenous legal orders and Canadian common law. We’re also working on is the Taza Park Water Reservoir Development, in which our teams are building a new water reservoir to support the surrounding Tsuut’ina First Nations community, the building is inspired by local Indigenous culture and serves as a functional reservoir and a symbol of the relationship between the Tsuut’ina people, the land, and water.
Reconciliation doesn’t stop there. Individual Canadians can work towards reconciliation through educating themselves. If you’re interested in learning more about Indigenous history and heritage, here are some resources:
University of Alberta Coursera
National Day for truth and reconciliation website
Sources:
Charleyboy, L. (2022, September 28). Survivor: The story of Phyllis Webstad and Orange Shirt day. Canadian Geographic. https://canadiangeographic.ca/articles/survivor-the-story-of-phyllis-webstad-and-orange-shirt-day/
Understanding the national day for truth and reconciliation. Government of Canada; Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada. (2023, May 11). https://www.rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca/eng/1631130192216/1631130220404