The second National Truth and Reconciliation Day will take place September 30. As one of the 94 calls to action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the purpose of this day is to commemorate and honour the lives of Indigenous people killed by the State and the Church.
The Canadian State continues its colonial practices. Over and above the discovery of children’s remains on Residential School grounds, is the fact that Prime Minister Trudeau has promised change for Indigenous people and has yet to make good on these promises. Whether it be clean drinking water, confronting the unjust proportion of Indigenous people who are incarcerated, the ongoing and unaccounted for abuse of Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit folk, the brash imposition of pipelines on Indigenous territory, the ongoing theft of land and police brutality, the bulldozing of Indigenous rights remains complete.
Apologies like the one given by Pope Francis during his visit to Canada this summer are clearly insufficient. The Government and the Church were complicit in the genocidal practice of “to kill the Indian in the child.” Moreover, it was not only the Catholic Church but other denominations which took part in these unfathomable practices.
Thousands of children were stolen from their families to be murdered by the Government and the Church. Indigenous people, including some CUPW members, continue to suffer from the appalling treatment inflicted on generations of their people. For victims, and the children of those taken by the Church and State, the intergenerational trauma remains.
It is our collective responsibility to reflect on the legacy of colonialism and act to make the changes necessary to bring justice to Indigenous peoples.
Here are some things you can do on this Truth and Reconciliation Day:
- Wear your orange t-shirt
- Take some time to learn the history of colonial practices in Canada
- Read the 94 calls to action (https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/british-columbians-our-governments/indigenous-people/aboriginal-peoples-documents/calls_to_action_english2.pdf
- Find out whose land you are on and learn about those Indigenous nations
- Participate in a National Truth and Reconciliation Day action in your community.
In Solidarity,
Jan Simpson, National President