NCTR marks National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day
UNCEDED ALGONQUIN TERRITORY, OTTAWA — Today, the National Centre of Truth and Reconciliation joins Survivors, intergenerational Survivors, Elders, educators, students and people, from across Canada to mark the second official National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day. From 1-2PM ET, the NCTR and APTN will host a live national broadcast to mark the day.
A commemorative ceremony will take place on Parliament Hill, followed by a memorial march to the LeBreton Flats Park in Ottawa. As part of a youth-led initiative, Indigenous children’s footwear will be placed in the park in remembrance of the children who never made it home from residential school. In conjunction with these activities, in Treaty 1 Territory, Winnipeg, the Winnipeg Art Gallery will hold a day of special programming in partnership with the NCTR to teach about reconciliation and the residential school system.
For this year’s Truth and Reconciliation Week, the NCTR continued the call to “Remember the children” who never came home from residential schools throughout Truth and Reconciliation Week. More than 500,000 students and 11,000 educators participated in education sessions featuring Survivors, Elders, Knowledge Keepers, artists, speakers and educators sharing Indigenous art, culture, language and history – and the truths about residential school. .
Yesterday, over 4,500 people attended “Gidinawendimin – We Are All Related”, Truth and Reconciliation Week’s first-ever live in-person event in Mississauga to bring together students, Survivors, Knowledge Keepers, speakers and Indigenous performers to share their cultures, languages, histories and experiences.
“Truth is the foundation of reconciliation. Yet, for too long, the honest truth about the history of Canada’s residential schools was hidden and denied. Efforts to acknowledge this history only happened because of the tireless work of Survivors themselves,” said NCTR Executive Director Stephanie Scott.
“Today, some still deny this history. We must share and teach the truth; that is the goal of this Week. Truth is the fundamental basis of reconciliation. Without acknowledgement of the truth, it is impossible for Survivors to heal and for communities to rebuild.”
The NCTR’s National Memorial Registry lists 4,122 children who never returned home from residential school. Ground searches at former schools like Kamloops Residential School have shone a light on the fact that there are unmarked and unprotected grave sites across the country. It is evermore important to continue remembering the children and speaking the truth about the residential school system and other colonial laws, policies and institutions, such as day and boarding schools.
“Today, we ask people in Canada to think about the role you can play in reconciliation. Listen and ask questions, take the truths you learned this week and champion them in your life and in your community.
For September 30th – and for every day that follows – please join us as we remember the children who never came home and acknowledge that reconciliation is an ongoing journey not taken by Indigenous Peoples alone. It requires institutions, governments and individuals to live up to their responsibilities. We welcome everyone to join us as we grieve, learn and heal together,” said Scott.
Truth and Reconciliation Week 2022
Programming from Truth and Reconciliation Week is available for the general public on the NCTR website.
Truth and Reconciliation Week is hosted by the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR), with the support of Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), the Government of Canada, Telus, NIB Trust, the Winnipeg Foundation, ARC’TERYX, Know History, the Governments of Manitoba, Alberta, Ontario, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Yukon, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, and the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, Canada’s History, Wapikoni & Télé-Québec, META, Hubilo, the Golden Horseshoe Community Foundations, Orange Shirt Society, Canada Post, and the National Film Board of Canada.
About the NCTR
The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR) hosted by the University of Manitoba was created to preserve the memory of Canada’s Residential School system and legacy, not just for a few years, but forever. It is the responsibility of the NCTR to steward and share the truths of Survivors’ experiences in a respectful way and to work with Indigenous and non-Indigenous educators, researchers, communities, decision-makers and the general public to support the ongoing work of truth, reconciliation and healing across Canada and beyond.
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