Background
There were 140 federally run Indian Residential Schools which operated in Canada between 1831 and 1998. The last school closed only 24 years ago.
What started as Orange Shirt Day—an annual national event to honour Residential School survivors, victims and their families—is in its second year as a federal statutory holiday.
Orange Shirt Day originates from Phyllis Webstad’s story. Webstad had just turned six years old when she was sent to St. Joseph’s Residential School in Williams Lake, B.C. in 1973. On her first day at the school, the bright, new orange shirt her Granny had bought her was taken from her.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) was created through a legal settlement between Residential Schools Survivors, the Assembly of First Nations, Inuit representatives and the parties responsible for creation and operation of the schools: the federal government and the church bodies. Read the TRC report and the 94 Calls to Action.
Greater Victoria municipalities recognize National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
Some local activities
- South Island Powwow
- Truth & Reconciliation Day Ride
- Xe Xe Smun’ Eem–Victoria Orange Shirt Day: Every Child Matters Ceremony
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Learning & Resources
- Official Orange Shirt Day website
- Where to buy Orange Shirts
- Township and First Nations relationships
- The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
- National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, Education Page
- Reconciliation Canada
- Reconciliation in Action: A National Engagement Strategy