The second annual National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is a day of reflection, healing and hope. On September 30, and every day, we stand with Indigenous communities and Indigenous CUPE members grieving the ongoing impacts and colonial legacy of the residential school system. All CUPE members and locals are encouraged to learn and share the truth about residential schools, and to support reconciliation.

Wear Orange and join a community event on September 30:

• SASKATOON – Rock Your Roots Walk for Reconciliation beginning at 10:00 a.m. 

• REGINA – Regina Public Library event at Noon in-person and Online with Métis and Cree writer Lisa Bird-Wilson. 

• PRINCE ALBERT – Community BBQ and event from 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. along the riverbank. 

• WEYBURN – Walk for Reconciliation at 3:00 p.m.

• MOOSE JAW  – WACA’s 1st Annual ECM Powwow and Gathering
  

• WEBINAR at 10:00 a.m. SK CST time – hosted by the Canadian Health Coalition: Decolonizing Health Care with Dr. Alika Lafontaine 

In 2021, the federal government passed legislation to observe September 30, a National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Canada, on an annual basis as a statutory holiday in response to Call to Action number 80 of The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. The date also coincides with Orange Shirt Day – a day which was first observed during the St. Joseph Mission Residential School Commemoration Project in Williams Lake, British Columbia, and an annual day that has grown into a grassroots movement inspired by the story of residential school survivor Phyllis Jack Webstad.

As a young girl, Phyllis was given a new orange shirt by her grandmother before being taken to a B.C. residential school. The shirt was confiscated and destroyed by her teacher on the first day of class. The destruction of Phyllis’ shirt has come to symbolize the colonial goal of residential schools to assimilate Indigenous peoples. The ongoing recovery of unmarked graves sites near the locations of former residential schools has been a grim reminder of their tragic legacy. CUPE continues to stand with Indigenous communities as they grieve these unjust losses within their communities.

On September 30, let’s join together to commemorate, to honour, to build awareness, to demand justice and action to end systemic racism and to end the ongoing harms of colonialism, and to walk the long journey of reconciliation through committed and genuine action.

TAKE ACTION: Join in the call with Saskatchewan’s Labour Movement to Make September 30 a Provincial Holiday

CUPE LINKS:

• Bargaining Language for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
• Walking the talk: A practical guide to reconciliation for CUPE locals

EDUCATION & RESOURCES:

• Reconciliation Saskatoon: www.beaconnectr.org

• Beyond 94: Truth and Reconciliation in Canada. This website by the CBC monitors the progress of the calls to action.

• Read the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Final Report and consider how you can support the Calls to Action

• Read the Final Report by National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls

• Visit the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation

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