National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
Message from MNO President Margaret Froh
September 30 is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. A day to recognize and reflect on the legacy of Residential Schools and the intergenerational trauma these institutions inflicted upon survivors, their families and communities. Establishing a day for awareness and reflection was one of the 94 Calls to Action outlined in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Final Report and was formally implemented in 2021.
Since its grassroots inception in 2013, September 30 has also been known as Orange Shirt Day, a commemorative day inspired by the story of Residential School Survivor Phyllis Webstad. Wearing orange on that day is a way to honour survivors and remember those who did not come home.
Today, we encourage citizens of the Métis Nation of Ontario and Canadians across the country to wear orange. We wear orange to show our solidarity with the survivors of the Residential School system and their families … to let them know that they are seen, heard, and that their experiences matter.
The intergenerational trauma that affects so many of our kin must be addressed and reconciled. Today is a day for these conversations to take place. Now is the time.
We commend those workplaces and institutions that will mark the significance of this day with meaningful conversations on the truth behind the residential schools, the on-going legacies, and, of course, the need for reconciliation.
That effort, outreach, and education does not end with the month of September.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission released its final report in 2016. The creation of this very day was one of the 94 Calls to Action – to date it is unclear how many of those have been completed. Today, we call on Canada to do the following:
- Implement the remaining Calls to Action;
- Commit to a process to engage Métis governments across Canada to ensure the Métis experience within residential, boarding and day schools is finally told and addressed;
- Fully implement Jordan’s Principle;
- Amend Canada’s laws to allow for the criminal prosecution of those who committed crimes at Residential Schools; and
- Acknowledge that the purpose of the Residential School system was the removal of Indigenous peoples from their lands in order to make way for settlement and resource extraction.
We all have a role to play in reconciliation. Together, we can do more.
On September 30th join the MNO Family Wellbeing team as we honour the healing journey of families who have experienced the intergenerational impacts of violence in their lives. Each of us has an important role in building our best future as we commit to the vital work of keeping our families safe and healthy. Register here: bit.ly/3UfjtNC
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