Thoughts From a "Lost Canadian" About the National Day for Truth & Reconciliation

Growing up in the US while we did learn how the Native Americans helped the Pilgrims (our schools focused on this around Thanksgiving, but the focus was more on how the Pilgrims survived than on the Native Americans), most references to "Indians" placed them in the position of the "bad guys" who wanted to "scalp" the white "Americans". So, when I learned how Canada faced their own history with First Nations Peoples I was SO impressed! Canada apologized to the First Nations People for the schools their children were forced to attend, faced the truth of how First Nations Peoples suffered, and worked for reconciliation. I learned on-line . . .

The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Canada is observed annually on September 30. 

Overview & Purpose

Date: September 30 each year (coinciding with Orange Shirt Day).
Established: Created as a federal statutory holiday in 2021 (via Bill C-5) to fulfill Truth and Reconciliation Commission Call to Action #80.
Meaning: Honours the children who never returned home from the Canadian Indian residential school system, along with survivors, their families, and affected communities. 
History: Acknowledges the painful legacy of 140 federally run residential schools operating between 1867 and 1996, where over 150,000 Indigenous children were forcibly separated from their families. 

You'll find my full post at this link.