September 30 was chosen as “Orange Shirt Day” by Indigenous people in 2013 to commemorate and honor the survivors of The Indian Residential School System (IRSS) and those who never returned home. At this time of year, over the course of more than 100 years, Indigenous children were forced to return to IRSS institutions where they suffered indoctrination and torture organized by the Canadian state to weaken and destroy Indigenous nations. In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) recommended that the Canadian government establish a statutory holiday so that Canadians may never forget the history and ongoing legacy of the IRSS. September 30 is now also Canada’s National Day of Truth and Reconciliation. 

In solidarity with Indigenous Peoples, we mourn the loss of the children who did not make it home and honor the courageous survivors and their allies who worked for decades to break the walls of silence and denial surrounding the IRSS. On this day of solemn reflection, we acknowledge that racism and religious persecution were used to dispossess Indigenous peoples of their territories, and that we must educate ourselves about the ongoing and current impacts of colonization and genocide on Indigenous peoples. We recognize that the labour movement in Canada has not been the ally it needs to be to Indigenous peoples. We must do the urgent work of ending systemic racism by engaging in a meaningful process of reconciliation with Indigenous peoples that leads to decolonization. 

On September 30, we encourage workers across BC to learn, reflect, and act. Here are some resources that you may find useful:  

Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: 94 Calls to Action 

Calls to Action Accountability: A 2021 Status Update on Reconciliation 

Sign CLC’s petition “Justice for First Nations’, Inuit, and Metis is Long Overdue” 

UBC Intergeneraltional March to Commemorate Orange Shirt Day

C̓əsnaʔəm: The City Before the City: Discover Musqueam’s Ancient Landscape and Living Culture 

“On Truth and Reconciliation: Indigenous Artist James Harry discusses his Project with SOS Village” 

Britannia Community Centre Orange Shirt Day Commemoration 

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