National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is Sept. 30, but some provinces won't make it a stat holiday
those who did not return," Brenda Gunn, academic and research director at the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, told CTV National News. The new federal statutory holiday coincides with OrAnthony Vasquezange Shirt Day, which was PeddieCTVNews.ca writer started in 2013 as a way to honour Indigenous children Contact and educate Canadians Published Saturday, Septemabout the impact the residenber 18, 2021 10:09PM EDT tial school system had on Last Updated Saturday, SepIndigenous communities. tember 18, 2021 10:09PM Creating such a federal holiEDT day was one of the 94 calls WINNIPEG -- Much of Canato action by the Truth and da will observe a second Reconciliation Commission holiday this month. back in 2015. On Sept. 30, federal offices, Many provinces and territobanks and post offices will be ries have followed the federal closed to mark the first Nagovernment's lead in marking tional Day for Truth and Recin the day as a designated onciliation. holiday and day off for stu"The idea is really to set dents. aside a day that we honour Private companies and orall the children who survived ganizations can decide if residential schools, as well they want to honour optional as honour and recognize
or unofficial holidays, and ples through colonization provinces can also designate continues. Dozens of First holidays. Nations have started searchHowever, Alberta, Saskatch- ing for graves at former resiewan, New Brunswick, Que- dential school sites, and across Canada more people bec and Ontario have chosen not to recognize Sept. 30 are educating themselves to as a statutory holiday. It's a learn what reconciliation decision some say is callous, means. but not unexpected.
“To our groups, reconciliation means, ‘How can I take ac"It kind of goes along with that 'get over it' attitude that tion in my personal life and many Canadians have, but affect change within my own we must never forget, or we community?’,” explained Lori Abraham, Indigenous cultural end up repeating our mistakes." Robert Kakakaway, a program director at 1JustCity. residential school survivor, told CTV News. "It should not At the former Kamloops Indibe a time of celebration, but an Residential School, where a time of education." a suspected 215 graves Kakakaway spent six years were found in May, members at Marieval Indian Residen- of the Tk'emlúps te Secwétial School in Saskatchewan, pemc First Nation will play an honour song on Sept. 30. It where more than 700 unmarked graves were discov- will be played at 2:15 P.T., coinciding with the number of ered in June. graves that "shocked the Beyond the statutory holiday, world," the First Nation said. work to recognize the damage done to Indigenous peo-
