Observing the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

On Saturday, September 30, Canada will mark the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. It honours the survivors and lost children of Canada’s residential schools, along with their families and communities. (There is also a parallel initiative, Truth and Reconciliation Week, which is available to schools across Canada and runs from September 25 to 30 this year.)

If you are wondering how and where you can meaningfully participate in the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, I’ve collected some suggestions, which appear later in this post under the subhead “Do.”

But first, I’d urge you to watch or read some of the statements and interviews with Indigenous people in the “Listen” section of this post, for their insights into how they would like Canadians to approach this occasion. As a non-Indigenous person, I strongly believe that our first task is to listen, to hear and to do our best to understand.

I’ve also provided a section of links to resources (under the subhead “Learn”) that will help you deepen your knowledge of Canada’s residential school system and the broader history of the Indigenous peoples of this continent.

Note: The content of this page may be disturbing to some visitors. Residential school survivors are invited to call the National Indian Residential School Crisis Line at 1-866-925-4419 for support.

Listen

These are just a few of the many statements by Indigenous people available online to help us all understand the context of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

In the video above, Legacy of Hope Foundation Board President Adam North Peigan reflects on the discovery of unmarked graves at residential schools and on avenues for reconciliation.

On September 30, the APTN TV network will be broadcasting special National Day for Truth and Reconciliation programming.

In this CBC story, Chief Darlene Bernard of the Lennox Island First Nation in P.E.I., shares five suggestions for ways to mark the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. The story also includes a list of books recommended by historian Tammy MacDonald.

In the video above, third-generation residential school survivor Phyllis Webstad of the Canoe Creek/Dog Creek First Nation discusses her experience at the St. Joseph Mission Residential School in Williams Lake, British Columbia. That experience led to the launch of Orange Shirt Day as a way to acknowledge the tragic legacy of the residential school system.

Learn

Again, this list is far from exhaustive, but I hope it provides some useful inspiration.

• The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation at the University of Manitoba offers an extensive array of educational resources. This week, it is also holding a series of online lunch-and-learn sessions.
• The Legacy of Hope Foundation is a national charitable organization, based in Ottawa, that builds awareness of the intergenerational impacts of the residential school system, the Sixties Scoop, and missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. Its website offers a range of educational resources.
• The Indian Residential School Survivors Society is a British Columbia organization that supports survivors and their families. It has numerous links on its page illuminating the history and legacy of residential schools, and also accepts donations.
• Indigenous Canada (see video above) is a 12-week online course offered by the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta that provides a comprehensive introduction to Indigenous history and issues. You can take it out of interest free of charge, or pay a fee to earn a certificate or university credit.
• Many of the resources here would be challenging for children to read and understand, but Strong Nations Publishing publishes books on Indigenous topics for children. (It also sells books on Indigenous topics for readers of all ages.)
• CBC Kids has a YouTube page of Indigenous-related content suitable for young viewers.
• Good Minds is an Indigenous-owned business based on the Six Nations of the Grand River Territory in Ontario that sells an extensive range of First Nations, Inuit and Métis books and other educational resources for all ages.
• If you haven’t already, please read the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s final report, particularly its calls to action. Help make sure that this isn’t just another commission report that gathers dust.
• The federal government’s page about the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation includes numerous links to resources focusing on Indigenous history and concerns.

Do

These are just a few of the many activities available on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation this year. All of the events below are being held on Saturday, September 30, unless otherwise stated. In many cases, participants are invited to wear orange clothing, in recognition of the fact that this is also Orange Shirt Day.

• The federal government’s National Day for Truth and Reconciliation website includes details of events on Parliament Hill. On Saturday, there will be a commemorative gathering called Remembering the Children, starting at noon. From 7pm that evening until early Sunday morning, Parliament Hill buildings will be illuminated in orange.
• Governor General Mary Simon is involved in a number of events throughout the week, which are detailed on the Governor General of Canada website. They include Gidinawendimin—We Are All Related, a youth-focused event at TD Place Arena at Lansdowne Park on Thursday, September 28; a student discussion on learning and healing through art at Rideau Hall on Friday, September 29; and the Parliament Hill event on Saturday.
• At Beechwood Cemetery, Saturday events will include a screening of the new short film Spirit Bear: Honouring Memories, Planting Dreams!; a 45-minute Reconciliation Tour, when visitors can learn about historical figures involved in residential schools and about the 94 Calls to Action; and the unveiling of The Children’s Sacred Forest at the cemetery. The events are free but Beechwood requests that visitors register in advance online.
• At the Canadian Museum of Nature (240 McLeod Street, Ottawa), Pinock Smith, an Algonquin from the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg Nation near Maniwaki, Quebec, will be giving a birch bark canoe crafting demonstration (free with museum admission).
• The Canadian Museum of History has a page on its website highlighting museum exhibitions, movies and other resources (both in the museum and online) related to Indigenous history, and special activities related to this week’s commemorations. Admission to the museum is free on Saturday, September 30, but you should reserve a timed ticket in advance on the page linked above.
• Seven Ottawa Public Library branches will be open on Saturday, and they will be offering programming for all ages related to the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Library activities will include helping to plant a heart garden, painting remembrance rocks, screenings of films about residential schools, and bilingual activities related to Phyllis Webstad’s book, Every Child Matters.

As the owner of Ottawa Road Trips, I acknowledge that I live on, work in and travel through the unceded, unsurrendered territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg Nation. I am grateful to have the opportunity to be present on this land. Ottawa Road Trips supports Water First, a non-profit organization that helps address water challenges in Indigenous communities in Canada through education, training and meaningful collaboration.