Self-Directed Learning Resources
There are several learning pieces that provide information about Orange Shirt Day and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
Engage with the important resources as we lead up to September 30, and beyond.
Reconciliation. Not a One Day Affair
Reconciliation. Not a one day affair.
My message to Canadians is this: Today and every day watch and listen to the stories of survivors, their families and their communities. We must all recognize that the Indian Residential school system is not just something for your history books. It is something that Indigenous peoples are still feeling the effects of each and every day.
- The Honourable Murray Sinclair.
Getting to the Truth
Honouring the Truth, Reconciling for the Future
The following is a quote from the Summary of the Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada:
"The Commission heard from more than 6,000 witnesses, most of whom survived the experience of living in the schools as students. The stories of that experience are sometimes difficult to accept as something that could have happened in a country such as Canada, which has long prided itself on being a bastion of democracy, peace, and kindness throughout the world. Children were abused, physically and sexually and they died in the schools in numbers that would not have been tolerated in any school system anywhere in the country, or in the world."
Reconciliation as a Relationship
What We Have Learned
The following is a quote from the Principles of Truth and Reconciliation:
"All Canadians must now demonstrate the same level of courage and determination, as we commit to an ongoing process of reconciliation. By establishing a new and respectful relationship between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Canadians, we will restore what must be restored, repair what must be repaired, and return what must be returned."
Implementing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People Act
The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act Action Plan
The Action Plan sets out commitments to actions and measures that Canada will take with Indigenous peoples to implement the rights and principles affirmed in the UN Declaration and advance reconciliation in a meaningful, tangible way. The Action Plan includes 181 specific measures to uphold and advance the human rights of Indigenous peoples, address injustices, prejudice, violence, systemic racism and discrimination.
Residential School Timeline
Honouring Residential School Survivors
The Legacy of Hope Foundation presents:
Escaping Residential Schools: Running for Their Lives
National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation shares:
Orange Shirt Day: Every Child Matters
Learn about the significance and history behind the symbol of the orange shirt:
Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two-Spirit People
Learn about the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and Two-Spirit People:
