2nd National Day of Truth and Reconciliation

Each year, September 30 marks the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

It’s a day for people in Canada to honour the children who never came home from residential schools, and the survivors.

It’s a day to acknowledge and lean into the long-hidden history of our country.

A number of events have been planned in Ottawa and beyond to mark the occasion this year. Here are some of them.

• "Remember Me: A National Day of Remembrance" on Parliament Hill – morning of Sept 30

Details here

A national gathering to memorialize the children that never came home from school and support Indigenous children & families affected by the Indian Residential Schools and all Indigenous child apprehension programs. The event begins at 8:30 a.m. with a welcoming ceremony and round dance with Native North American Traveling College, Akwesasne. An opening ceremony will be held at 10 a.m., and events will continue all morning. A Travelling Song and Spirit Walk from Parliament Hill to LeBreton Flats will begin at 11:30 a.m.

• Walk on the John A. Macdonald Parkway – Sept 30, 8:30AM

War Museum, 1 Vimy Place

Albert Dumont, Algonquin spiritual advisor, artist and human rights activist, invites all people across Turtle Island to join him on September 30, 2022. Albert will lead a walk on the John A. Macdonald Parkway, going from the War Museum to Parkdale Ave. and then back again to the museum. The walk, protesting the parkway’s name, will become an annual event continuing until such a time in the future when Macdonald’s name is finally removed from the parkway.

Details here

• Màmawi Together - Survivors’ Gathering, Sept 29-30

LeBreton Flats

Details here

September 29, 2022 (10 am – 4pm)

September 30, 2022 (7:30am – 4pm)

A 2-day event of truth-gathering on residential schools. This year, Màmawi together will be hosting a multi-faceted event series aimed at bringing communities together during truth and reconciliation week. We invite you to join us September 29 and 30 to hear the testimonies of survivors from Ottawa, Quebec, and northern Canada, take part in cultural and traditional values, and honour those impacted by the residential school system and those who did not come home.

• The National Day of Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day at Beechwood Cemetery

Locations: Beechwood Cemetery, and Downtown Ottawa at 61 Sparks St.

A reconciliation tour of Beechwood Cemetery, screenings of two short films, and a reconciling walking tour of downtown Ottawa are among the events planned for this year’s National Day of Truth and Reconciliation on Sept. 30.

Details here

• Ottawa Public Library programming for Sept 30―Learn about the impact of residential schools

Details here

• Missing & Murdered Indigenous WGT2S Families speak out (October 4, noon, at Parliament Hill/Algonquin Territory)

Families of Sisters in Spirit (FSIS) is holding a Vigil for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, Trans & 2-Spirit people (MMIWGT2S) & The Police.

Details here

Where to get orange shirts

Indigenous owned local businesses:

- Adaawewigamig - 55 Byward Market Square - a social enterprise of the Assembly of 7 Generations (an Indigenous owned and youth-led, non-profit focused on cultural support and empowerment programs and policies for Indigenous youth while being led by traditional knowledge and Elder guidance).

- Beandigen Cafe at Landsdowne
- Makerhouse in Westboro
- Madahoki Farm on Hunt Club

- Diamond Phoenix Creations (Kitigan Zibi)

Webinars

• A Calls to Action Conversation on Truth and Reconciliation – The Yellowhead Institute (Sept 29 and Sept 30)

An esteemed panel of Indigenous leaders - Cindy Blackstock, Kisha Supernant, Sheila Cote-Meek, Ginger Gosnell-Meyers, Kunuk Inutiq, Janet Smylie, and Scott Franks - will discuss the importance of the ‘Legacy’ Calls to Action (1-42), the injustice of their incompletion, and the barriers to their completion. This event will be live on September 29th; the event recording will be available for public view on the Yellowhead Institute YouTube page on September 30, 2022 for one day only.

• Decolonizing Healthcare - Canadian Health Coalition webinar on Sept 30

Dr. Alika Lafontaine is the first Indigenous president of the Canadian Medical Association. He is an anesthesiologist in Grande Prairie, Alberta. Active with the Indigenous Health Alliance, Dr. Lafontaine is committed to health transformation and eliminating discrimination and racism in health care.

Recommended Media

• APTN’s Special Programming for the day

• ‘The Pretendians’ - Airing Friday Sept 30th at 9pm on CBC - 

'The term “pretendian” has come to refer to someone who claims distant Indigenous heritage that doesn’t stand up to deeper scrutiny. But why would someone fake an Indigenous identity? That question is the premise of The Pretendians, a documentary from The Passionate Eye and the latest film featuring Anishinaabe author and playwright Drew Hayden Taylor.'

• LIDO TV Episode 1: Colonialism

 Lido Pimienta unpacks colonialism with the help of special guests Nelly Furtado and Bear Witness.