By Alice Liu | November 20th, 2021
Did you recognize the significance of this past Orange Shirt Day? If not, here’s the answer: it coincided with Canada’s very first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
September 30th, 2021 marked this new federal statutory holiday, rushed through legislation by Parliament days after the mass discovery of thousands of unmarked graves belonging to residential school attendees in July. The provinces of Manitoba, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island have followed suit in designating the day off for government offices and schools, with British Columbia meanwhile having declared it a “day of commemoration”.
However, given how quickly it came and went, it’s difficult for many Canadians to see Orange Shirt Day as important as even Remembrance Day, on which a mandatory minute of silence is observed and a commemorative poppy is worn by almost all. Is Truth and Reconciliation Day only checkmark Number 13 to demonstrate slow progress on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's 94 Calls to Action?
Orange Shirt Day is often reinforced with its familiar slogan: "Every Child Matters".
Though Ontario hasn’t designated it a provincial statutory holiday, The Woodlands seeks to prove otherwise — many classes and clubs have taken the initiative to discuss and take action on truth and reconciliation.
The Truth and Reconciliation Club, for one, has spoken about the importance of having meaningful discussions in support of truth. Club members and the club’s teacher executive, Ms. Martin, have collectively come up with a set of core ideals for what they will work towards throughout the year. The following quotation was broadcasted by the school’s morning announcements on September 30th:
“Reconciliation can only be achieved once the truth is revealed...Let’s move beyond the symbolic gestures and seek real justice by supporting Indigenous rights and claims to the land. Remember: reconciliation is not an Indigenous issue, it is a Canadian one.”
One way the Truth and Reconciliation Club got Woodlands students involved was the opening of a Reconciliation Garden back in June of 2018. This year, a rock painting ceremony was held there, in addition to different displays and action items put up in the front foyer. Today, students can pass by the front of the school to visit this garden with a layout (and now, painted rocks) representative of Indigenous culture, the result of learning from Indigenous activists and interschool summits.
The “truth” part of truth and reconciliation is the first step in bridging the divide between ourselves and the Indigenous peoples of Canada. This means acknowledging the horrors that Indigenous children faced in residential schools and the lasting effects of trauma they faced. As a result, another way that The Woodlands as a school furthered this goal is by having classes watch videos on Indigenous activists and hold discussions on what we can do as individuals to show more respect to the Indigenous peoples of Canada. However, the “reconciliation” part is much trickier: what work can we do to actively aid in fixing ongoing issues?
Marches such as these have become increasingly common in the wake of discussions surrounding the plight of Indigenous people in Canada, but what more can be done?
A common theme that arises when discussing systematic reconciliation is a lack of accountability causing an absence of any sort of meaningful action. One idea to combat this would be to make the Canadian government’s structure more inclusive of Indigenous peoples in its decision-making.
“[We could] provide parliamentary seats to ensure any bills passed have to be negotiated along with the recognized Indigenous nations. For example, if each nation were to be granted two seats whose representatives are decided upon by whatever system that nation sees fit, then their block of votes would ensure their collective needs are met in a democratic way.” said Mr. Heathfield, taking a few minutes to hold a class discussion on what reconciliation truly means. Generally, students agreed.
If The Woodlands and other Canadians make significant efforts to work towards Truth and Reconciliation in recognition of this day, then it has made enough of a difference to make this day more than a purposeless checkmark.
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