Today Marks Canada’s First National Day For Truth & Reconciliation

Bill C-5, Sets September 30, For National Day For Truth And Reconciliation

Reconciliation with the Canadian Indigenous community has been the precipice of the Trudeau administration. Canada’s dismal and at times tragic tragic history with its Indigenous people stem from decades of systematic racism and ignorance of them, their culture, languages and teachings.

In 2020, Canada’s Minister of Heritage Steven Guilbeault announced an important step in implementing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Call to Action #80 by introducing Bill C-5. This bill seeks to establish a National Day for Truth and Reconciliation for federally regulated workers that will be observed as a statutory holiday on September 30.

The new national day will honour survivors, their families and communities. It will also ensure that public commemoration of the tragic and painful history and legacy of residential schools remains a vital component of the reconciliation process.

“To the residential school survivors who shared their stories at tonight’s ceremony, thank you. With your courage and your resilience, you have shown us the way forward. We’ll continue to walk this path of reconciliation with you – and with Indigenous peoples across the country.”Said, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

The meaning of September 30th brings more significance with the recent unearthing of mass unmarked graves of Indigenous children buried on the grounds of former residential school sites. Currently, the number of unmarked graves that have been reported sits at 6,509 nationally. These numbers are not confirmed but are what have been reported.

As a part of the Truth and Reconciliation Community (TRC), #72 called for the creation of a national death registry. This would be to record the names of all children that have died while attending residential schools throughout the country. Currently, the registry sits at 4,118 names and counting.

Canadians continue to call on the Canadian government and the Roman Catholic Church that ran the operations at the Residential School to take accountability for their actions and to recall and enact all the Calls to Action made by the Truth and Reconciliation of Community.

Image source Prime Minister Twitter Feed

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