Observing the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

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On Wednesday, 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.

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.

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

In this video from Mādahòkì Farm in Ottawa, Indigenous educators talk about the ways they share and celebrate Indigenous cultures in Ottawa–Gatineau. They also discuss the impacts of residential schools and other colonial policies. This is one of a selection of videos on the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation’s latest YouTube playlist.

In the video below, 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.

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

This CBC story recommends a number of CBC documentaries about Indigenous issues that you can stream for free on CBC Gem.

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. From September 21 to 25, 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-lesson online course offered by the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta that provides a comprehensive introduction to Indigenous history and issues.
• 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 94 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. In many cases, participants are invited to wear orange clothing, in recognition of the fact that this is also Orange Shirt Day.

Happening on Wednesday, September 30

• The federal government’s National Day for Truth and Reconciliation website includes details of events on Parliament Hill. In the afternoon, there will be a commemorative gathering called Remembering the Children. That evening, the Peace Tower and the Senate Building will be illuminated in orange.
• At the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, a morning ceremony will include prayers, a smudging, drumming, dancing and testimony from an Elder. The museum will also be screening movies with Indigenous themes and offering other programming. Admission will be free that day.
• Authors Rose LeMay and Tanya Talaga are giving a talk called Women, Truth & Reconciliation at the National Arts Centre.
• The Assembly of Seven Generations will be offering reconciliation walking tours in downtown Ottawa.
• At Ottawa’s Beechwood Cemetery, free events will include a presentation of the 1970s CBC Radio play Story of a National Crime, accompanied by visuals. That will be followed by a 45-minute Reconciliation Tour focusing on individuals who played a role in residential schools. There will also be a short memorial ceremony for the children who never returned home.

• Ottawa’s Bytowne Cinema will be screening two Indigenous movies: Ever Deadly (2022), about singer, artist, author and activist Tanya Tagaq; and Clearcut (1991), a Graham Greene movie about Indigenous activists blocking a company determined to clearcut a forest.
• Inuit Isaruit Arts is presenting Reconciliation Through the Arts, and all-day event at the Rideau Hub on St. Laurent Boulevard in Ottawa.
• The Diefenbunker: Canada’s Cold War Museum in Carp is running a special guided tour focusing on Indigenous Cold War history. The museum offers free admission to First Nations, Inuit and Métis individuals.
• The new Misi Zibi Mamidosewin (Mississippi River Gathering Place) will be officially dedicated in Riverside Park in Carleton Place. The focal point of the gathering spot are The 4 Directions Stones—seven-foot-high stones recently installed at the site to reflect the traditional Algonquin teaching of four sacred directions.
• In Perth, Indigenous Elders will lead an Orange Shirt Day Ceremony at the Indigenous Healing Circle in Last Duel Park. It will include drumming, singing and a pipe ceremony.
• In Smiths Falls, people will gather at Centennial Park to walk to Duck Island, where a ceremony will take place in the Healing Circle.
• Renfrew will mark the day at the BAFN Cultural Community Centre in Ma-te-Way Park with Indigenous drummers, dancers and a speaker. Staff from the Renfrew Public Library will be on hand with relevant resources to share.
• The Bonnechere Union Public Library in Eganville will be screening two National Film Board shorts, Holy Angels and Stories in Our Bones. The films are suitable for viewers aged 14 and up.
• Westport will mark Orange Shirt Day in Lockwood Park with hoop dancing, music and speeches.
• In Kingston, there will be a community walk for truth and reconciliation.

Happening on other days

• On September 26 and 27, Rideau Hall will be hosting a free “doors open” event with activities to help visitors learn about Indigenous cultures and reflect on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
• Kemptville’s ceremony will take place at the Mino-jichaag Mtigwaaki gathering place at the Ferguson Forest Centre on Saturday, September 26. Spearheaded by the town council and the North Grenville Indigenous Advisory Circle, the event will include speakers, food and music.
• In Almonte, Reconciliation Through Art (Sunday, September 27, and October 2 to 4) is organized by Métis Elder Tony Belcourt. It brings together Indigenous artists, performers and educators to offer a diverse program of art, music, food and cultural teachings.
• The National Arts Centre is offering a beaded orange shirt pin workshop on Monday, September 28.
• On Tuesday, September 29, Library and Archives Canada is hosting the launch of Au nord de nulle part : Le chant d’une commissaire à la vérité et à la réconciliation [in English, North of Nowhere: Song of a Truth and Reconciliation Commissioner] by Marie Wilson, translated into French by Charles Bender. The discussion will be in French.
• Dylan Michael Jenkins—an Omushkego/Anishinabe two spirit knowledge carrier, storyteller and master—is leading an evening of storytelling, growth and reflection in Almonte on Tuesday, September 29.
• At the Perth and District Union Public Library, Francine Desjardins will be sharing stories and songs celebrating Indigenous culture on Tuesday, September 29. The event will take place in the library’s garden if the weather is good and indoors if the weather is bad.
• On Sunday, September 27, a talk called Beyond Land Acknowledgements: From Words to Transformative Change is taking place in Kingston.
• On Sunday, October 4, Indigenous Resilience Day at the Vanier Hub will be an outdoor, family-friendly event featuring First Nations, Inuit and Métis performers, speakers, dancers and drummers. There will be crafts, food, workshops and face painting, too.

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.