September 30 is now recognized as a statutory holiday by the Government of Canada as the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation. The year 2023 is the third edition of this holiday.
It is a day of remembrance and recognition of the tragic history of the residential schools and the aftermath for the victims and their families. It is also a day of remembrance to honour the survivors, their families and their communities.
The choice of date is not insignificant. It corresponds to the time of year when children were taken away from their families and brought to residential schools. It coincides with the date established in 2013 to mark Orange Sweater Day. It is a commemorative event that grew out of the real-life story of Phyllis Webstad who had her orange shirt removed on her first day of school at St. Joseph’s Mission in Williams Lake, BC. This was the first of countless acts designed to erase her culture, break her family ties, and damage her self-esteem.
At the time of its launch, this special day was intended to draw attention to the reality of residential schools and their impact on thousands of Indigenous children and their families across the country. It was an opportunity to share this portion of history that took place from 1831 to 1996. The merging of these symbolic moments into a national holiday is intended to encourage gatherings in a spirit of reconciliation and hope.
This September 30 day also contributes to raising awareness for anti-racism and anti-bullying policies at the beginning of the school year.
To learn more about this slice of history, the NFB has put together several interesting documentaries.
APTN offers special 24-hour programming in honor of survivors and their families.
National Commemorative Gathering
APTN, CBC/Radio-Canada and the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR) recently announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the production of the annual National Commemorative Gathering.
This multilingual commemorative event under the theme “Remembering the Children: National Day of Truth and Reconciliation” will feature reflections by survivors, intertwined with performances by First Nations, Inuit and Métis artists.
The 90-minute event will be presented in English, French and Plains Cree. It will take place on Parliament Hill on September 30 at 3 pm. It will be available live on APTN, APTN Langues, aptnnews.ca, CBC TV, CBC News Network, CBC Gem, ICI TÉLÉ, ICI TOU.TV, Radio-Canada.ca and CBC Indigenous. It will also be streamed on APTN lumi on October 2.