How Canadians observed Orange Shirt Day and National Day for Truth and Reconciliation this year
Attendees wore orange and gathered in Parliament Hill as well as U of T’s Hart House to commemorate the lives lost at the hands of Canada’s residential school system as well as those who never returned.
Each year on September 30, Canadians observe the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation—which honours survivors of Canada’s residential schools, children who never returned home and their families and communities.
Every year, Canadians dress in orange—also marking this day as Orange Shirt Day—to raise awareness of the generational impacts of the residential school system in Canada.
According to the Government of Canada’s website, “The orange shirt is a symbol of the stripping away of culture, freedom and self-esteem experienced by Indigenous children over generations.” According to the page, the day also aims to promote the concept of “Every Child Matters.”
A day of remembrance
This year, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation marks the fourth year since it was designated as a federal statutory holiday. Various institutions this year honoured the day through celebrations and ceremonies.
On September 30, thousands of people in downtown Ottawa gathered in place of Parliament Hill in a national ceremony where they heard from First Nations, Métis and Inuit survivors of these schools. Throughout the ceremony, musicians and other performers took the stage on Parliament Hill’s front lawn while the crowd passed around a “memorial cloth” that featured the names of the 150,000 children who were forced to attend these residential schools. Attendees also placed children’s shoes around the stage in memory of the victims of residential schools. Many attendees wore ribbon skirts and orange shirts at the ceremony.
The University of Toronto (U of T) community also commemorated Orange Shirt Day and National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in a tri-campus event held at Hart House on the St. George campus. The event was also streamed live on YouTube for those not able to attend. The event featured keynote speaker Shirley Cheechoo—a Cree actor, artist, filmmaker and founder of the Weengushk Film Institute.
In her speech, Cheechoo recounted her story and the abuse she endured in the residential school system. She encouraged listeners to refer to those who survived the system as “residential school warriors” to empower children and communities who have survived across the country.
Attendees of the event also heard from U of T President Meric Gertler and William Gough, acting vice-president of U of T and acting principal of U of T’s Scarborough campus.
In his address, President Gertler stated that the U of T community is committed to advancing reconciliation across all three campuses—specifically through expanding the presence of Indigenous students, staff and faculty, incorporating Indigenous content into the university’s curriculum, supporting Indigenous research programs, and creating physical spaces that honour Indigenous histories and traditions.
U of T Chancellor Wes Hall delivered his closing remarks at the event and encouraged attendees to continue sharing their stories to ensure history does not repeat itself.
Following the ceremony, a sacred fire was lit for U of T community members at Ziibiing—a newly opened Indigenous landscape project near Hart House.
On September 30, flags were also lowered to half-mast across U of T’s three campuses to honour the day.
The lasting scars of residential schools
Inspired by residential school survivor and member of the Stswecem’c Xgat’tem First Nation, Phyllis Webstad, who had her new orange shirt taken away on her first day at a residential school and replaced with a school uniform, orange shirts became the symbol of Orange Shirt Day. The day is used as an opportunity for participants to raise awareness about the ongoing fallout of residential school systems and honour experiences like Phyllis Webstad’s.
Numerous survivors have shared their stories of attending residential schools, recounting the abuse they endured. More than 150,000 children were forced into these schools and approximately 6,000 children died while attending, most of them from malnutrition or disease. However, experts believe the death toll may be higher.
