September 30 is Orange Shirt Day and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, a day to honour Survivors, the children who never returned home, and their families and communities. It is a day to reflect, learn, and consider how we can move forward together. Meaningful Truth and Reconciliation requires us to acknowledge the truth and move from reflection toward ReconciliAction.
Truth and Reconciliation requires more than reflection on one day of the year. It requires a willingness to learn and acknowledge the truth, listen to Indigenous voices and perspectives, examine our own assumptions and biases, and move from awareness toward meaningful action.
The legacy of the residential school system is far-reaching. Our understanding of its impacts, and of the broader effects of colonial policies and systems, has been informed by important work including:
- The 2015 Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada and its 94 Calls to Action
- The 1999 Report of the Aboriginal Justice Inquiry of Manitoba
- The 1996 Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples Final Report
- The 2019 Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action are intended to redress the legacy of residential schools and advance reconciliation, while the National Inquiry’s 2019 Final Report issued 231 Calls for Justice.
Learning and unlearning
This learning can also require us to examine concepts such as white privilege, systemic racism, and unconscious bias. Peggy McIntosh’s 1989 work, White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack, describes privilege as involving unearned advantages that may be invisible to those who experience them. Dr. Robin DiAngelo later popularized the term white fragility to describe the discomfort or defensiveness that may arise when issues of race, racial privilege, or systemic racism are discussed. Understanding these concepts can help us recognize how defensiveness or discomfort may sometimes become barriers to listening, learning, and meaningful dialogue.
Today, there are many opportunities to educate ourselves about the histories and experiences of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples. We each have a responsibility to seek out credible resources, particularly Indigenous voices, and Indigenous-led sources, and to remain open to learning histories that may be difficult or uncomfortable.
Historical terminology is also part of this learning. The word “Indian” continues to appear in Canadian legislation and in the historical or official names of policies and institutions, such as the Indian Act, Indian Residential Schools, Indian Day Schools, and Indian hospitals. Outside of these historical and legal contexts, contemporary and respectful terminology such as Indigenous Peoples, First Nations, Inuit, and Métis should generally be used, recognizing that individuals and communities may have their own preferred terminology.
The consequences of colonial policies did not end when institutions or programs ended. Indigenous individuals, families, and communities continue to experience intergenerational impacts and trauma arising from residential schools, Indian Day Schools, segregated health care, child removal, and other colonial systems. At the same time, it is important that Indigenous Peoples are not defined solely by trauma. Their experiences also demonstrate profound resistance, strength, resilience, cultural continuity, and revitalization.
Moving towards ReconciliAction
As we reflect on our own histories, identities, and cultures, we can become more genuinely curious about the histories and experiences of others. That curiosity should be grounded in empathy, respect, and a willingness to listen. Reconciliation also means recognizing that seemingly simple questions can have complex answers, and that what we learn may challenge what we were previously taught or believed.
As we move toward ReconciliAction, it is important to create opportunities to call people in rather than simply call people out. People need space to ask respectful questions, acknowledge what they do not know and continue learning. At the same time, Indigenous colleagues, friends, and community members should not be expected to carry the responsibility of educating others. We can take responsibility for our own learning while listening respectfully when Indigenous people choose to share their knowledge, perspectives, and lived experiences.
We can also recognize that equity and equality are not the same. Equality provides people with the same opportunities or resources, while equity acknowledges that historical and systemic barriers can affect what people need to participate fully and fairly.
As we learn, we may recognize historical and deeply rooted biases or stereotypes that we need to challenge and unlearn. We all carry biases. What matters is our willingness to recognize them, understand where they come from and take responsibility for changing the attitudes, behaviours, and systems that perpetuate inequity and racism.
ReconciliAction can take many forms. We can:
- Seek out Indigenous-led resources and listen to Indigenous voices
- Learn about the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action and the MMIWG Calls for Justice — the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation encourages individuals and organizations to turn learning into concrete ReconciliACTION
- Participate respectfully in Indigenous-led educational and commemorative activities
- Consider how colonialism, racism, and systemic barriers continue to affect Indigenous Peoples today
- Examine our own assumptions and biases and remain open to changing what we think we know
- Consider what reconciliation means within our own workplaces, communities, and spheres of influence
September 30 provides an important opportunity to listen, learn, and reflect, but reconciliation cannot be limited to one day. The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation responds to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Call to Action 80, which called for a statutory holiday to honour Survivors, their families, and communities and to ensure the public commemoration of residential schools remains an important part of the reconciliation process. Before this action was taken, September 30 was and continues to be commemorated as Orange Shirt Day in honour of Phyllis (Jack) Webstad’s experience in residential school. In 2013, as Phyllis told the story of how her shiny new orange shirt, bought by her grandmother, was taken from her as a six-year old girl, the Orange Shirt Day movement grew to what it is today.
Collectively and individually, we can move from reflection toward ReconciliAction by continuing to learn, listening with humility, challenging racism and discrimination, respecting Indigenous rights and perspectives, and contributing to relationships built on dignity, equity, inclusion, and respect.
In solidarity,
Carolyn Sampson, PSAC BC NIPC Female Representative
A personal note from the author: This was a challenging piece to write. I approached it from a place of humility, reflection, passion, equity and inclusion, recognizing that no single article can fully capture the complexity and importance of Truth and Reconciliation.
I would also like to acknowledge Victoria Parole Office Administrator Marcia Koenders for her thoughtful feedback and editorial suggestions in preparing this article.
Co-signed by:
Darien Gomez, PSAC BC Indigenous Peoples Coordinator
Jamey Mills, Regional Executive Vice-President, BC Region