This year, September 30th has been made a public holiday to honour the victims of the residential school system.
This federal public holiday was born on June 3rd 2021 from previous recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, which tries to acknowledge and fix the damage caused to First Nations, Inuit and Metis peoples.
Known as Orange Shirt Day since 2013, September 30th was already a significant day.
It was founded by a survivor, Phyllis Webstad, to symbolise the dispossession caused by residential schools. The orange shirt refers to the item of clothing Webstad was wearing when it was confiscated on her first day at a residential school.
To feed our thinking: rcaanc-cirnac.qc.ca.
Photo: Unsplash
