The passage of Bill C-5 in 2021 created the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation as a federal statutory holiday on September 30 each year, fulfilling the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Call to Action #80. It was unanimously supported by the House of Commons after going through multiple revisions and being stalled by Conservative senators in 2019.

The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation provides an opportunity for Canadians to reflect on the legacy of Canada’s residential school system. The day was originally established in 2013 as Orange Shirt Day in recognition of Phyllis Webstad who shared the story of her favourite orange shirt being taken upon her arrival at St. Joseph’s Mission Residential School. Her story began a movement across Canada to honour communities, Survivors, and families impacted by the legacy of residential schools.

Missing Children and Unmarked Graves and Burial Sites

Survivors and communities recounted for decades their recollections of missing children and hidden burials on residential school properties. In May 2021, the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc announced the confirmation of up to 215 potential unmarked burials at the site of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School. Since then, 18 additional communities have reported thousands of potential unmarked burials across Canada.

On June 8, 2022, Kimberly R. Murray was appointed as Independent Special Interlocutor for Missing Children and Unmarked Graves and Burial Sites associated with Indian Residential Schools. An interim report titled Sacred Responsibility: Searching for Missing Children and Unmarked Burials was released in June 2023. It outlines 48 findings, including numbers 29 through 32 with a focus on “the increase in the violence of denialism.” Findings 29 and 30 speak specifically about denialism being a “non-Indigenous problem,” and issue a call to allies to “actively work to counter denialism and to create and implement strategies to do so.”

ETFO Committed to Continuing the Work of Reconciliation

The need for public support for Survivors, their families, and communities can be reinforced through public education about the history and ongoing legacy of residential schools.

ETFO remains committed to supporting educators, communities, and students in continuing these conversations. While we renew our call to demand action for reconciliation and justice, we also know this is a moment to engage in learning, but talking about residential schools requires care.

It is important that we approach this learning in culturally safe and trauma-informed ways to ensure we do not unintentionally perpetuate colonial violence and harm. ETFO’s Healing Conversations resource supports educators in discussing residential schools, the Sixties Scoop, and Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG).

We must demand justice and commit to continuing the work of reconciliation and speaking out against denialism by taking actions like the following throughout the year:

• reading the Independent Special Interlocutor’s interim report, Sacred Responsibility: Searching for the Missing Children and Unmarked Burials
• reading the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action
• reading Reclaiming Power and Place: The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
• Accessing the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation for resources

Other resources to support educators in their unlearning, learning, and re-learning are available on etfofnmi.ca.