The National Day of Truth and Reconciliation on Friday is dedicated to the survivors of Canada’s residential schools as well as the children who perished there and never returned home, according to the national chief of the Assembly of First Nations.
In recognition of the federal statutory holiday, also known as Orange Shirt Day, which was instituted last year in response to the discovery of alleged unmarked burial sites at old residential schools, ceremonies, marches, and other gatherings are planned across Canada.
The day, according to National Chief RoseAnne Archibald, is an occasion to pause and consider how schools have affected Indigenous Peoples and the roles they have played throughout Canadian history.
Some of the activities planned for Friday include the orange illumination of Parliament Hill’s Peace Tower, programmes regarding residential schools at the Winnipeg Art Gallery, and a community powwow at the Songhees Nation in the Victoria region.
As the federal government’s minister for Crown-Indigenous relations, Marc Miller affirms that reconciliation is a priority in both short- and long-term plans for Canada.
The National Day of Truth and Reconciliation, according to Linc Kesler, an expert on residential schools and Indigenous identity at the University of British Columbia, helps Canadians become more aware of Indigenous issues.
I’m not sure what Canadians will make of it all, he remarked.
“I know what I hope they would make of it, and it would be they would become more aware of how much they haven’t known previously. “
On this Truth and Reconciliation Day, the head of the AFN encourages contemplation on residential schools.
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