Each year on September 30, we mark Orange Shirt Day, an Indigenous-led grassroots initiative. This year we also mark Canada’s third National Day for Truth and Reconciliation to reflect, remember, and honour the survivors and victims of Canada’s residential school system.
The Government of Canada discusses advancing reconciliation as “working in partnership with Indigenous Peoples to address past harms, support strong and healthy communities, and advance self-determination and prosperity.” According to Yellowhead Institute, two Calls to Action (67 & 70) were completed in 2022. In total, only 13 of 94 Calls to Action have been completed.
On September 27, five First Nations from Northern Ontario came to Toronto to lead the March for the Land, calling on Premier Ford to end unwanted mining activity on Indigenous territories. The Land Defence Alliance specifically referenced Call to Action 92.
Call to Action 92
From the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada
“We call upon the corporate sector in Canada to adopt the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as a reconciliation framework and to apply its principles, norms, and standards to corporate policy and core operational activities involving Indigenous peoples and their lands and resources. This would include, but not be limited to, the following:
i. Commit to meaningful consultation, building respectful relationships, and obtaining the free, prior, and informed consent of Indigenous peoples before proceeding with economic development projects.
ii. Ensure that Aboriginal peoples have equitable access to jobs, training, and education opportunities in the corporate sector, and that Aboriginal communities gain long-term sustainable benefits from economic development projects.
iii. Provide education for management and staff on the history of Aboriginal peoples, including the history and legacy of residential schools, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Treaties and Aboriginal rights, Indigenous law, and Aboriginal–Crown relations. This will require skills based training in intercultural competency, conflict resolution, human rights, and anti-racism.”
According to Chief Rudy Turtle of Grassy Narrows, they have spent more than 50 years asking the government for assistance in cleaning mercury from the rivers, with little progress. The Land Defence Alliance has three main demands of the Government of Ontario:
- Commit to ending unwanted mining on First Nations land
- End the free entry mining regime
- Respect the decisions of the alliance of First Nations to defend their land and protect their people and way of life
CSI staff and members joined the march. It was an honour to join these groups in their advocacy for the protection of their lands and waters.
As we reflect on both Orange Shirt Day and National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, we recommend learning more about these First Nations’ struggle to protect their lands and waters. More information about the march and the First Nations Land Defence Alliance can be found on their website here. For additional background knowledge, check out CBC’s reporting here.
For 24-hour crisis support for former Indian Residential School students and their families, the toll-free crisis line is 1-866-925-4419.
How to Participate in Orange Shirt Day
Learn
- Take the free online Indigenous Canada course offered by the University of Alberta
- Explore CBC’s Beyond 94 to learn about the progress of the 94 Calls to Action
- Hear from survivor, Phyllis Webstad, about the residential school system
- Participate in the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation online programming from September 27th to October 1st
- Read A Knock on the Door: The Essential History of Residential Schools from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada by Phil Fontaine, Aimée Craft, The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada
- On the day, watch CBC’s commercial-free programming honouring stories of survivors
Act
- Learn about whose land you are on
- Amplify Indigenous voices in your community and industry
- Settlers Take Action (resources compiled by The On Canada Project)
- 94 recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Committee
- Calls to Action Accountability: A 2022 Status Update on Reconciliation
Donate
- Legacy of Hope Foundation
- Toronto Indigenous Harm Reduction
- Toronto Council Fire Native Cultural Centre
- Native Women’s Association of Canada
- Indspire
- Native Canadian Centre of Toronto
- Indian Residential School Survivors Society
- Buy an orange shirt from an Indigenous designer and/or official organizations that gives proceeds to survivors and reconciliation efforts. Every child matters.
