This year marked the second annual National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, with many locals in the Pontiac taking part in different activities to raise awareness and honour residential school survivors.

Also known as Orange Shirt Day, September 30 is a holiday made to honour Indigenous children that were taken away from their families and put into the residential “school” system. It is a day to raise awareness and recognize that it is important to acknowledge what Indigenous people have gone through in order to work towards real change.

The Equity spoke to Warden Jane Toller who emphasized that it’s a . . .

great day to reflect on Canadian history and the ways Indigenous peoples have been treated.

“The way I look at the idea of truth and reconciliation is that it is a time for every Canadian to stop and think about the horrible way living with people of different race or colour was handled and how we will never return to that again,” she said.

One of the things people did on this day was educate themselves on the residential schools and honour the lives lost with a moment of silence.

Principal Grady Robson of Dr. S.E. McDowell Elementary School told THE EQUITY that although they had more planned for this day they were still able to show a half hour virtual presentation and videos explaining to the kids what the day was. Robson visited different class rooms and talked to the students and answered questions as they came up.

“Why it’s important, is that its part of the formulation of the country, and it’s part of the inclusiveness, which should have started a heck of a long time ago. But it really seemed to make a difference in the way Canadians think now, and we have to keep our kids up to date with what’s going on in the rest of the country,” he said.

In order for the elementary students to grasp the information and to help deliver it in a way they would understand, the school used animated videos, said Robson. Through repetition he hopes that the kids will learn what Indigenous people in Canada went through and the magnitude of what happened in residential ‘schools.’

Moving forward Robson said he hopes to ensure students at his school are learning about Indigenous history in Canada and making sure they are modernizing their approach and keeping up with the times in their teaching.

“I believe it’s an event that’s going to build, it’s gonna be something that’s not going to get louder. It’s going to get deeper. And this was the first concentrated effort to try to make something of it and we’re definitely going to get better as we do it in the years to come,” said Robson.

The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation became a federal holiday in 2021 in order to enact Call to Action #80 in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission report of Canada, which has a total of 94 calls to action. The call to action states: “We call upon the federal government, in collaboration with Aboriginal peoples, to establish, as a statutory holiday, a National Day for Truth and Reconciliation to honour Survivors, their families, and communities, and ensure that public commemoration of the history and legacy of residential schools remains a vital component of the reconciliation process.”

Over at the Pontiac Continuing Education Centre they held a 45 minute presentation with educational material teaching students where residential schools were in Canada and about the impact it had on Indigenous communities. Following that they had a moment of silence.

Students were engaged and had a lot of questions and showed interest in learning more, said Trisha Willcott, Counselor in Academic Training who along with Bonnie McLaughlin, head of the commerce department and staff assistant, gave the presentation.

“It was important that we make sure our students are aware of the day so that they understand the importance and significance behind it. And that we take the time to honour residential school survivors and their families, along with making them aware of the intergenerational trauma that it caused. It’s a difficult topic to discuss, but we think that it’s important to teach them about it and help them become more aware of Canada’s history,” said Willcott.

Local artist, Leah Beardsley, is well known for sketching popular figures from history and one that was impactful was of a young Indigenous woman. The drawing titled ‘Every Child Matters’ was done as a way to provide healing while also raising awareness.

Both her husband and children have Indigenous roots thats why its important for her to have her kids understand the past and how to reconcile through forgiveness, she said. “I believe that this day is important because it brings an awareness to the founding culture of what Canada started as. And it also draws in awareness to the injustice that was done,” said Beardsley.

As a family they showed solidarity by wearing an orange shirt, and as a woman of prayer she took time to pray for people to receive comfort during this time and a restoration of heart, she said.

Toller hopes to do more in the coming years and have ceremonies and celebrations lead by Indigenous groups held here in the Pontiac. “What I would like to see next year is more publicity more awareness. And we should definitely, you know, have some kind of ceremony even if we go over to the healing garden to do it. I think that would be very appropriate,” said Toller.

In honour of National Day for Truth and Reconciliation the Pontiac Continuing Education Centre wore orange shirts. Pictured are the Academic Upgrading Students, Health, Assistance and Nursing, Institutional and Home Care Assistance, Commerce and Social Integration Students along with their teachers.

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