National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
September 30 became a federal holiday in 2021 in response to the Truth and Reconciliation Committee’s 2015 report, The 94 Calls to Action. From these recommendations, Action #80 called upon the federal government, in collaboration with Aboriginal peoples, to establish, as a statutory holiday, a National Day for Truth and Reconciliation to honour survivors, their families, and communities and ensure that public commemoration of the history and legacy of residential schools remains a vital component of the reconciliation process. In 2023, the province of BC underscored the importance of this by declaring the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation a provincial statutory holiday as well.
Many of us do not directly experience the legacy of residential schools in our everyday lives, but Indigenous communities continue to heal and rebuild after the devastating impacts of Canadian legislation to assimilate Indigenous people, erase their culture and shame them for who they are—both inside and outside of residential schools. At SJS, we want students to understand the truth portion of this holiday so they can take part in reconciliation to ensure that this type of treatment does not happen to anyone again.
At our Whole School Assembly on Monday, September 23, Ms. Chang-Gardecki and Señor Flores spoke about the significance of land acknowledgments and wearing an orange shirt, working towards right relationship with the land and the people here, and ensuring everyone takes responsibility for living in tune with our First Nation, Metis and Inuit neighbours, the animals, the plants and the land.
Indigenous Guests at SJS
We have had a diverse array of Indigenous guests at our school over the years, and we applaud the resurgence of Indigenous culture that is openly shared and celebrated. We are eagerly anticipating our upcoming guest, sɬə́məxʷ (Rain) Pierre, from Katzie First Nation. Rain will be joining our students on October 1 to share stories of his journey from academia to his spiritual awakening where he discovered his gift for spray paint art. In his words, “It was up to our grandparents’ generation to survive attempted genocide, so it is up to my generation to show everyone why.”
Orange Shirt Day
We encourage everyone to wear orange shirts (purchased from somewhere that directly supports Indigenous organizations) on September 30 and to spend some time listening to stories from residential school survivors, including that of Phyllis Webstad who initiated Orange Shirt Day. Please take time to reflect on how you can contribute to the healing of communities, for it is only through mutual growth and protection that we strengthen this country we call Canada.
On October 1, students should also come to school in their orange shirts and uniform bottoms to acknowledge the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and show solidarity with our special guest, sɬə́məxʷ (Rain) Pierre.
For resources on other ways that you can participate in this day of remembrance and reflection, please see this document created by our Indigenous Curriculum Leaders.