Today, we recognize the harm and ongoing trauma caused by residential schools and remember those who were lost, the survivors, and their families. It is an opportunity for Canadians to commit to the process of truth, reconciliation, and justice with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis across Canada, as well as take action to heal and build a better future together.
The holiday was first purposed in 2015 by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. Action 80 has called upon the federal government, collaborating with Indigenous communities, to establish a statutory holiday, honouring the survivors, their families, and Indigenous communities, to ensure that public commemoration of the history and legacy of residential schools remains a vital component of the reconciliation process.
September 30th has already been marked by Indigenous communities as “orange shirt day” in honour of Phyllis’ Story, whose new orange shirt was taken from her, on her first day in a residential school. This act now symbolizes the stripping away of culture, freedom, and self-esteem experienced by Indigenous children and their families over generations. These acts weren’t committed in a distant time, but in our time, when the last of the residential schools closed in 1996 in Saskatchewan.
There were 140 federally sanctioned Residential schools that operated in Canada between 1831 and 1998, mainly operated by church officials. Over 150,000 children were placed in these schools. Students in the residential school system were faced with a multitude of abuses by teachers and administrators, including sexual and physical assault. They suffered from malnourishment and harsh discipline that would not have been tolerated in any other Canadian school system. This was an attempt to “assimilate” them into regular society, as Indigenous people weren’t recognized as “people or persons” in the eyes of the government.
Survivors of residential schools and their families have suffered from historical trauma with a lasting and adverse effect on the transmission of Indigenous culture between generations. A 2010 study led by Gwen Reimer explained historic trauma, passed on intergenerationally, as the process through which “cumulative stress and grief experienced by Aboriginal communities is translated into a collective experience of cultural disruption and a collective memory of powerlessness and loss”.
Reconciliation is the responsibility of every Canadian. This means acknowledging the past and ensuring history never repeats itself by respecting Indigenous treaties and rights and letting go of negative perceptions and stereotypes to work towards solidarity. Reflect on how you can work towards reconciliation in your own life and create your own personal reconciliation plan.