The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day is Monday, September 30th. This day, now designated as a statutory holiday in BC and for federally regulated workplaces, is a time for all Canadians to pause and reflect on the history and legacy of the residential school system.
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation honours the children who never returned home from residential schools, as well as survivors, their families and communities.
Last year, Island Health staff came together in the Kwakwaka'wakw big house, Wawadit'ła (Mungo Martin House), on the traditional territory of the Songhees First Nation, to share in conversation and offer their thoughts about truth, reconciliation, allyship and what this day means to each of them.
Click here to see the entire conversation with the seven members of the panel (44 mins).
“I would like to express my gratitude and raise my hands up to the many staff who participated in this conversation, both in front of and behind the camera and recognize the courage and commitment it took to lean into this work.”
- Dawn Thomas, Vice President of Indigenous Health & Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Truth and reconciliation is a complex process and can mean many things for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. Without truth, there is no reconciliation. Understanding this means we must reconcile the truth of the fact that for generations, colonization was intended to strip away Indigenous peoples’ cultures, dignity, language and fundamental rights.
However, while hundreds of years of devastating harm were inflicted in the name of colonization, Indigenous rights DO exist despite the efforts to eradicate them. They are now protected under the legislation and the safety of acts such as the Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act. As part of reconciliation in this country, Indigenous people are exercising their unique and inherent rights to land and title, family, culture, language and more, and will continue to do so as intended before colonization.
For generations, Indigenous people have been sharing the truth about the horrors endured by survivors and their families of the residential school systems. It has been eight years since the Truth and Reconciliation Commission shed light across the country on the truth, four years since the release of the final report on missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, Reclaiming Power and Place, and almost three years now since the release of In Plain Sight.
This year, on September 18th, the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) apologized for its role and the role of the medical profession in past and ongoing harm to First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples in the healthcare system. This crucial step in the journey towards reconciliation can be viewed here.
There is opportunity for healing, greater understanding and relationship building when we are willing to sit with each other in empathy and discomfort and bravely hear each other's truths. We invite all non-Indigenous allies to carry out the following actions:
- Walk alongside Indigenous colleagues and communities on this journey – this is everyone's shared history in this country.
- Commit to action on your teams and as individuals.
- Explore what active allyship means and share that burden.
- Speak up, stand together, and create safe and welcoming spaces that uphold the rights and dignity of all Indigenous people who enter through the doors of any Island Health facility and beyond.
Just as the participants in this video shared, on this day and every day, we ask you as well to reflect on what truth means to you and what actions you might take to promote reconciliation and allyship in your role at Island Health.
We invite you to join this conversation.
The team at Port Hardy Hospital hold the orange pledge shirts created by students at Fort Rupert Elementary School
In addition, Island Health encourages anyone with planned activities at their sites in honour of this day to share their details in the comments.
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Virtual Events
- Lunch and Learns – National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation – Sept 23 – 27, 2024
- Health related impacts of the residential school system – Monday, Sept 23, 10:00 am (PT) (recording available)
- Allyship and confronting unconscious bias – Tuesday, Sept 24, 10:00 am (PT) – (recording available)
- Impacts and addressing Indigenous identity fraud – Wednesday, Sept 25, 10:00 am (PT) – Register Now
- A community perspective of United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples – Thursday, Sept 26, 10:00 am (PT) – Register to Attend Virtually
- How do we address the barriers to reconciliation? – Friday, Sept 27, 10:00 am (PT) – Register Now
Victoria Events
- Orange Shirt Day – University of Victoria - Sept 27, 11:00 am – 12:00 pm
- Raising of the Survivor’s Flag for the first time at a permanent memorial site in the Quad
- South Island Pow Wow – Sept 30th Gates Open at 10 am, Grand Entry at 12:00 noon - Royal Athletic Park 1014 Caledonia Ave, Victoria, BC
- National Day for Truth and Reconciliation – Malahat Skywalk – Sept 30th, 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm
- The Great Salish Heist – IMAX Victoria - September 11, 18, 25, 30
- Keepers of the Land – IMAX Victoria - September 23 – September 30
- Victoria Orange Shirt Day
Duncan Event
- Every Child Matter March – Sept 30th, 9:30 am
Downtown Duncan, starting at Charles Hoey Park, 1 km walk. Guest Speaker, Performances, Food Trucks, and more.
Nanaimo Events
- National Day for Truth and Reconciliation – Sept 27th, 8:30 am – 2:00 pm
Nanaimo Regional General Hospital, in partnership with colleagues and friends from the Snuneymuxw First Nation - Cedar Tree Planting Ceremony – Main Entrance of NRGH - National Day for Truth and Reconciliation – Sept 30th, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
City of Nanaimo: Oliver Woods Community Centre, Nanaimo Aquatic Centre, Nanaimo Ice Centre
Campbell River Event
National Day of Truth and Reconciliation - Sept 30th, 11:00 am – 2:30 pm
Spirit Square, Shoppers Row, Campbell River, BC V9W 2C8
Alert Bay Event
- Every Child Matters - Sept 26th, 9:30 am – 2:00 pm
U’mista Cultural Society, Walk to begin at the Council Hall and ends at the U’mista Cultural Centre
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Opportunities to Learn and Unlearn:
Truth and Reconciliation Commission: Executive Summary
- Honouring the Truth, Reconciling for the Future: Summary of the Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada
- Executive Summary Web Version (with section-by-section video readings)
Volumes
- The History, Part 1 Origins to 1939
- The History, Part 2 1939 to 2000
- The Inuit and Northern Experience
- The Métis Experience
- Missing Children and Unmarked Burials
- The Legacy
- Reconciliation
Further TRC Reading
- A Knock on the Door: The Essential History of Residential Schools from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada | Phil Fontaine, Aimée Craft and the TRC
- They Came for the Children: Canada, Aboriginal Peoples, and Residential Schools
- The Survivors Speak: A Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada
- What We Have Learned: Principles of Truth and Reconciliation
- Calls to Action
Memoirs
- Theodore Fontaine, Broken Circle: The Dark Legacy of Indian Residential Schools: A Memoir (2010)
- Bev Sellars, They Called Me Number One: Secrets and Survival at an Indian Residential School (2012)
- Edmund Metatawabin with Alexandra Shimo, Up Ghost River: A Chief's Journey Through the Turbulent Waters of Native History (2015)
- Joseph Auguste (Augie) Merasty, The Education of Augie Merasty: A Residential School Memoir (2015/2017)
- Isabelle Knockwood, Out of the Depths: The Experiences of Mi’kmaw Children at the Indian Residential School at Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia (1992/2015)
- Dr. Chief Robert Joseph, Namwayut – We Are All One: A Pathway to Reconciliation (2022)
Film & Other Media
- Residential Schools Film Collection | Indigenous Cinema | National Film Board
- The reckoning: Secrets unearthed by Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc | Fifth Estate | CBC News
- Picking Up the Pieces: The Making of the Witness Blanket (2018) | Carey Newman & Cody Graham
- Remembering the Forgotten Children (2017) | Graham Constant
- In Jesus' Name: Shattering the Silence of St. Anne's Residential School (2017) | Susan Enberg
- Holy Angels (2017) | Jay Cardinal Villeneuve
- From Up North (2016) | Trudy Stewart
- We Were Children (2012) | Tim Wolochatiuk
- Videos | National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation | YouTube
- Residential Schools podcast series | Historica Canada | Hosted by Shaneen Robinson-Desjarlais
- Kuper Island | CBC Podcasts | CBC Listen
- Len Pierre Consulting:
- Anti-Racism Tools Webinar with Len Pierre
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjJkbsnoIvM - Decolonizing Healthcare Systems with Len Pierre https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrlXHJADey0
- Indigenous Cultural Safety and Humility with Len Pierre https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3imGPPD0aY
- Indigenous Allyship with Len Pierre
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k58qIBQp5pI - Navigating Indigenous Tokenism, Saviourism, and Appropriation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbziVWtejYM
- Anti-Racism Tools Webinar with Len Pierre
- Two eyed seeing with Rebecca Thomas - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bA9EwcFbVfg
- Separate Beds: A History of Indian Hospitals in Canada, 1920s-1980s by Maureen K. Lux
https://youtu.be/ATA95frbiAU?si=ZKe5ph222NN3UIsc
Resource Centres & Other Organizations
- Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre
- Indian Residential School Survivors Society
- Legacy of Hope Foundation
- Legacy Schools Resources | Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund
Additional Reading
- Learn more about Phyliss Webstad's book and story, “ The Orange Shirt Day"
- The Reconciliation Manifesto (goodminds.com)
- Becoming an Ally: Breaking the Cycle of Oppression in People | Anne Bishop
- Settler: Identity and Colonialism in 21st Century Canada – Fernwood Publishing
- Publications - Robin DiAngelo, PhD
- Medicine Unbundled: A Journey through the Minefields of Indigenous Health Care, by Gary Geddes
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Actions
- Wear your orange shirts and share photos of your teams in the comments
- Attend or volunteer at a local event in your community
- Register for training Core Health — San'yas Indigenous Cultural Safety Online Training
- Register for Bystander to Ally — San'yas Indigenous Cultural Safety Online Training (yula.stevens@islandhealth.ca)
- Make a Personal Pledge of Reconciliation: National Day of Truth & Reconciliation, September 30 (ictinc.ca)
- Update your Teams background to one of the many Island Health ‘Every Child Matter’s orange backgrounds
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Counselling support for Indigenous employees of Island Health Island Health Indigenous-specific Counselling Supports
- Nancy Kinyewakan (McFarland) Email: kccshome@gmail.com , Phone: 250-661-5552
- Meli Louie, Counsellor, MA.RCC Email: mmlouie84@gmail.com , Phone: 250-857-9134
Island Health General Counselling Supports
The KUU-US Crisis Line Society 250-723-4050
- Provides a First Nations and Indigenous specific crisis line available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, toll-free from anywhere in British Columbia.
Indian Residential School Crisis Line: 1-866-925-4419
- The crisis line is available 24 hours a day for anyone experiencing pain or distress as a result of a residential school experience.
Hope for Wellness Helpline: 1-855-242-3310, OR CHAT ONLINE AT HOPEFORWELLNESS.CA
- The Hope for Wellness Helpline offers immediate help to all Indigenous peoples across Canada in the following languages: Ojibway, Cree, Inuktut, English and French. They provide 24/7 culturally grounded assessment, referrals, counselling and support in times of crisis, including suicide intervention.