On this National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (and on any day), please take some time to continue learning about Reconciliation by exploring some of the many resources out there.
From the Orange Shirt Society:
The annual Orange Shirt Day on September 30th opens the door to global conversation on all
aspects of Residential Schools. It is an opportunity to create meaningful discussion about the
effects of Residential Schools and the legacy they have left behind. A discussion all Canadians
can tune into and create bridges with each other for reconciliation. A day for survivors to be
reaffirmed that they matter, and so do those that have been affected. Every Child Matters,
even if they are an adult, from now on.
Local & Online Events held to recognize September 30th:
- Tuesday, September 29th from 6-8pm at Hillcrest Park: Sacred Fire & Flag Raising in honour of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, hosted in partnership by the Thunder Bay Indigenous Friendship Centre and the City of Thunder Bay
- Wednesday, September 30th 1pm-5pm: Fall Traditional Gathering on Anemki Wajiw hosted by Fort William First Nation; attendees are encouraged to wear orange in honour of Truth & Reconciliation Day and to those children who never made it home. Grand entry at 1pm, traditional feast at 5pm
- Wednesday, September 30th 8am-12pm: Honouring Our Children Run at Boulevard Lake in support of Mazinaajim Children’s Foundation – register to run or volunteer in advance!
- Wednesday, September 30th 10:30am – 2pm: Orange Shirt Day Walk to Support Residential School Survivors and their Families; family-friendly gathering starting at the NAN office (200 Syndicate Ave S.) and walking to Vickers Park for a light lunch
- Wednesday, September 30th 3-5pm: The Right to Truth: Protecting Indian Residential School Records, hosted by Yellowhead Institute – free to attend, register to receive a virtual spot
A gentle reminder that reconciliation is about more than wearing an orange shirt. Learning about residential schools is learning about colonialism and patriarchy: do some reading, listen to Indigenous voices—especially survivors, learn about the Land Back movement, engage in conversations with family and friends, celebrate Indigenous innovation and creativity, and encourage our government to restore Indigenous jurisdiction and authority over those so called Crown lands:
- Land Back: Indigenous Perspectives | The Agenda interview with Pamela Palmater and Riley Yesno (March 28, 2022)
- Land Back: A Yellowhead Institute Red Paper (2019)
- Land Reparations & Indigenous Solidarity Toolkit compiled by US-based Resource Generation Land Reparations Group (2018)
- The Story of Orange Shirt Day and Phyllis (Jack) Webstad’s story in her own words via the Orange Shirt Society
- Learn more about treaties and traditional lands on an international level with Native-Land interactive map
Reports and calls to action:
- Calls to Action Accountability: A 2023 Status Update on Reconciliation, special report by the Yellowhead Institute (2023)
- NWAC ’s Action Plan to End the Attack Against Indigenous Women, Girls, and Gender-Diverse People (2021)
- Reconciliation with Indigenous Women: Changing the story of MMIWG, a report from ONWA (2020)
- Reclaiming Power and Place: The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (2019)
- Métis Perspectives of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and LGBTQ2S+ People, a report from Les Femmes Michif Otipemisiwak/Women of the Métis Nation (2019)
- MMIWG2SLGBTQQIA+ National Action Plan, Final Report by the 2SLGBTQQIA+ Sub-Working Group (2021)
- TRC’s Principles of Reconciliation and Calls to Action (2021)
- Reports from The Standing Senate Committee on Indigenous Peoples:
- Missing Records, Missing Children (2024)
- Honouring the Children Who Never Came Home: Truth, Education and Reconciliation (2024)
- Voices of Youth Indigenous Leaders 2023: Celebrating Leadership in Indigenous Education (2023)
- Make it stop! Ending the remaining discrimination in Indian registration “Ongoing discrimination in the registration provisions of the Indian Act remains and continues to affect First Nations women and their descendants.”
- Not Enough: All Words and No Action on MMIWG
- The Scars that We Carry: Forced and Coerced Sterilization of Persons in Canada – Part II. “The federal government should compensate and apologize to all people who were subjected to forced and coerced sterilization.”
Articles, essays, books:
- Acting Indian: Reflections on Status, Citizenship & Belonging, Yellowhead Institute Special Report (September 2026)
- Indigenous Ally Toolkit (2019) by the Montreal Indigenous Community Network
- Calls to Action for Newcomers to Canada & the Violence of Canadian Citizenship Education (Lucy El-Sherif, The Yellowhead Institute, September 26, 2023)
- 4Rs Youth Movement is a youth-driven initiative that was launched to change the country by changing relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous young people.
- Writing Myself into Existence: An Essay on the Erasure of Black Indigenous Identity in Canadian Education (Etanda Arden, Abolition & Solidarity Brief, Yellowhead Institute, January 28, 2021)
- Indigenous people pay taxes: Demythologizing the Indian Act tax exemption (Bradley Bryan, The Conversation, August 23, 2022)
- Zaagi’diwin Inakinogewin | Love Law: A Policy Note For Protecting Two-Spirit, Non-Binary & Trans Indigenous Peoples (Fallon Simard, Gender & Generational Justice Brief, Yellowhead Institute, August 2, 2022)
- The Orange Path: Resources for Learning
- Indian Residential School Survivors Society (IRSSS) provides counselling and 24/7 crisis support to those who are impacted by residential school experiences: 1-800-721-0066
- Walking with Our Sisters: A Commemorative Art Installation for the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women of Canada and the United States (7 year project: 2012-2019).
- Seven Fallen Feathers: Racism, Death, and Hard Truths in a Northern City (2017) by Tanya Talaga
- A Two-Spirit Journey: The Autobiography of a Lesbian Ojibwa-Cree Elder (2016) by Ma-Nee Chacaby and Mary Louisa Plummer
Videos, podcasts, other resources:
- Auntie Up! is a celebration of Indigenous women talking about the important stuff. Listen to the podcast or watch the interviews by Creative Makwa
- Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance (1993), a landmark documentary by Alanis Obomsawin. (See also: Considering Kanehsatake, Thirty Years Later by Marg McPhail)
- Protecting boreal plant species is a critical part of reconciliation efforts (J.M. Baker, The Conversation, August 10, 2023)
- We need a better understanding of race, ‘status’ and indigeneity in Canada (Celeste Pedri-Spade, The Conversation, August 7, 2022)
- Stolen: Surviving St. Michael’s is an award-winning podcast by investigative journalist Connie Walker about her family’s experience of the residential school system
- (Dis)placed: Indigenous Youth and the Child Welfare System (2017), directed by Melisa Brittain featuring the perspectives of Indigenous youth and First Nations child advocate Cindy Blackstock.
- Oshdeebeganwin – (Oshdee – cross your heart, Begaa-win – written agreement), talking treaties with Michele Solomon, Nicole Richmond, and Gene Nowegejick shares an Anishinaabe perspective of the Robinson-Superior Treaty of 1850. Watch a recording by Thunder Bay Art Gallery here
- Biidaaban (The Dawn Comes) | Full Film (2018) by Amanda Strong + Leanne Betasmosake Simpson
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