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September 30 is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day
In June 2021, the federal government passed legislation to mark September 30, 2021 as the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. The Province of BC also recognizes this date as a day of commemoration in the public sector.
The idea of having such a day was originally proposed as Call to Action 80 from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action, released in June 2015.
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Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada Recommendation (June 2015):
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The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation provides an opportunity to recognize and commemorate the intergenerational harm caused by residential schools and to honour the Indigenous families and communities who continue to experience this trauma today. This day carries added significance in the wake of recent discoveries of unmarked graves on sites of a number of former residential schools. Which is why, on September 30, the College continues to call on all health professionals to practice vigilant cultural humility and to reflect on and learn about the enduring impacts of residential schools and Indigenous-specific racism in Canada.
The College would also like to remind health professionals that while reflecting on the history and legacy of residential schools it a vitally important component of reconciliation, it is only one step toward improving Canada’s relationship with Indigenous peoples. We encourage you to use this opportunity to ask what you can do to advance reconciliation with Indigenous peoples by reflecting on the broader social issues faced by Indigenous peoples and by better understanding the historical contexts from which these issues originate.
“This is not about the survivors specifically or only. It’s also not about the history of residential schools…It’s about reconciliation and the fact that Canada has to make a concerted effort to maintain a process of reconciliation into the future.”
- Sen. Murray Sinclair on the establishment of a National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
To the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, ‘reconciliation’ is an ongoing individual and collective process of establishing and maintaining a mutually respectful relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Canada. For that to happen, there must be awareness of the past, acknowledgement of the harm that has been inflicted, atonement for the causes, and action to create meaningful change.
As health professionals, it is important that we begin our own processes of reconciliation by acknowledging the generational trauma experienced by Indigenous peoples and the problems it continues to present in many contemporary Canadian healthcare settings, often resulting in alienation, inappropriate treatment and barriers to access.
On our inaugural National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, we encourage British Columbia’s health professionals to reflect on the lived experiences of Indigenous Peoples when confronted with Indigenous-specific racism, and what you can do within both your personal and professional lives to improve your relationship with Indigenous people in Canada.
Orange Shirt Day
September 30 has also been designated as Orange Shirt Day in recognition of the harmful legacy that Canada’s residential school system has left on generations of Indigenous families and their communities. The date was chosen because it is the time of year during which First Nations children were taken from their homes and put into residential schools.
Started by Phyllis Webstad, the first Orange Shirt Day took place on September 30, 2013 in Williams Lake. The “orange shirt” refers to the new shirt that Phyllis was given by her grandmother for her first day of school at St. Joseph’s Mission residential school in British Columbia.
Orange shirt day, much like the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, is an opportunity for all Canadians to honour Residential School Survivors, their families and communities; and to stand-up against racism, bullying and unethical treatment in all facets of Canadian society, from education to health care.
Wear an orange shirt to show your support and to help create awareness of the individual, family and inter-generational impacts of Residential Schools in Canada.
Begin your own journey of truth and reconciliation by exploring the following resources:
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- Cultural Safety and Humility