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National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
The day honours the lost children and Survivors of residential schools, their families and communities. Public commemoration of the tragic and painful history and ongoing impacts of residential schools is a vital component of the reconciliation process.
The date September 30th was chosen because it was the time of year in which children were taken from their homes to be brought to residential schools. Today, the government recognizes September 30th as the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation, and we encourage all workers to wear orange to support and honour the thousands of survivors of residential schools.
The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation is offering a series of FREE virtual lunch and learn sessions throughout National Truth and Reconciliation Week from 1:30-2:30pm, registration is required. (See link below.)
Peel CAS continues to honour Truth and Reconciliation by collaborating with our Indigenous community partners to ensure our Indigenous families have cultural connections. Aboriginal Legal Services continues to lead Circles for our Indigenous families, while The Indigenous Network and Wasa-Nabin of Peel provide community programs. We continue to work with Native Child and Family Services of Toronto on the expansion into the Peel Region as we understand the importance of allyship, and cultural support provided by Indigenous agency to Indigenous people.
Wear Orange
Orange Shirt Day began as an Indigenous-led grassroots commemorative day to raise awareness of the inter-generational trauma caused by residential schools on Indigenous people and their communities. A survivor named Phyllis Webstad shared her story of attending residential school. Phyllis’ grandmother bought her a shiny new orange shirt for her first day at residential school and when she got there, they took her clothes from her, including the orange shirt. She couldn’t understand why they took it, and she never wore it again. She described how all the little children were crying, no one cared, and she felt like she was worth nothing.
From her sharing her story, the orange shirt became a symbol of the impacts of residential schools on Indigenous communities, honouring the survivors and that “Every Child Matters”.
