Reflecting together on National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

What is National Day for Truth and Reconciliation?

Officially recognized as a federal statutory holiday in 2021, National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is a day “to honour Survivors, their families, and communities, and to ensure that public commemoration of the history and legacy of residential schools remains a vital component of the truth and (re)conciliation process” (TRC, 2015, Call to Action 80).

What is Orange Shirt Day?

September 30th is also known as Orange Shirt Day.

Orange Shirt Day has been recognized as a movement to recognize the experiences of survivors of Indian residential schools, honour them, and show a collective commitment to ensure that every child matters. While Orange Shirt Day officially began in 2013 – “in reality, it began in 1973 when six-year-old Phyllis Webstad entered the St. Joseph Mission Residential School, […] wearing a brand new orange shirt for her first day of school.” A shirt which was quickly taken and replaced with the residential school’s institutional uniform (ICT Inc., 2020). As said by Candace Linklater on the Relentless Indigenous Woman Podcast, “It wasn’t just about the orange t-shirt. It symbolizes what was taken away from us: our culture, our language, our ways of being, our own community, everything.”

To create awareness of the inter-generational impacts of Indian Residential Schools, to support (re)conciliation, and promote the truth that EVERY CHILD MATTERS, Phyllis Webstad founded the Orange Shirt Society in 2015.

Though the connections between National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day cannot be overstated, it is also important to recognize their distinctions. Where Orange Shirt Day could be considered a survivor-led grassroots movement, National Day for Truth and Reconciliation was implemented by the federal government following decades of resilience, advocacy, and legal action by former residential school students and their families.

Ways to Take Action Towards (Re)Conciliation*

There are many ways that organizations and individuals can learn about the truth and take action towards (re)conciliation. To start, the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation has many resources:

National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation Resources: Reports

These resources provide opportunities for individuals and organizations to both sit with and learn from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s reports and findings, as well as to find Actions and ways forward that are appropriate, meaningful, and relevant to them. The summary of the 6-volume final report offers an invaluable overview.

Still don’t know where to start? Read the TRC’s 94 Calls to Action - pick a call that resonates with you (there is great diversity across the 94 Calls!) and think about how you can work to address this call in your day-to-day life.

Actions Towards (Re)Conciliation in Conservation

At WCS Canada we recognize our position as a conservation organization working on Indigenous territories, as well as our responsibilities to understand the legacies and current socio-political implications of our work on Indigenous Peoples' Rights, ways of knowing, and being.

We strive every day to set purposeful intention to understand the truth of why (re)conciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples, especially non-Indigenous conservation practitioners, is needed, and move forwards with actionable change so as not to perpetuate or re-invent past colonial harms. Wong et al (2020) recognize these responsibilities of natural scientists and, in line with the TRC (2015) 94 Calls to Action, have published 10 Calls to Action to natural scientists working in Canada.

If you’re interested in learning more about Wong et al’s 10 Calls to Action, we also recommend watching the accompanying 30-minute Signal Fire Film.

Additional Orange Shirt Day & National Day for Truth and Reconciliation Resources

Below, we provide a list of resources and learning opportunities we curated for you to take part in this National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

*Throughout this document, we write (re)conciliation with brackets to respectfully acknowledge the connotation of the term Reconciliation. When one searches for the definition of reconciliation on the internet, one of the first explanations to pop up is the “restoration of friendly relations”, whereas conciliation is the practice of mediating between two distinct and disputing groups. It entails the creation of an ethical space, where these distinct ways of knowing and being can engage without impediment from the other. It also entails critical reflexivity in understanding the longer-term systemic issues that have led to the need for (re)conciliation efforts.