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September 30 marks the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. It is a day to honour the survivors of residential schools and to remember the children who never came home.
It matters who those survivors are. Every survivor we honour on September 30 was a child when they were taken. Phyllis (Jack) Webstad was six years old in 1973 when she arrived at St. Joseph Mission near Williams Lake, B.C. She was wearing a bright orange shirt her grandmother had bought her. Staff took it away and she never wore it again. Her story gave this day its name.
The last federally funded residential school, Gordon's in Punnichy, Saskatchewan, did not close until 1996. That was 30 years ago. Survivors are not a chapter in a history book. They are our neighbours, our co-workers, our friends and family, and our union members. Many are still raising children and grandchildren while carrying what was done to them when they were small. We honour those children by listening to the adults they became, and by acting on what they tell us.
In 2021, the federal government declared September 30 a statutory holiday. However, beyond federally regulated workers, the application of the holiday is uneven across the country. This is unsatisfactory and goes against the spirit of the day, which is for individuals to recognize and reflect on the atrocities committed at residential schools and to amplify the message that Every Child Matters.
To this end, Unifor encourages member locals outside the federal sector to ensure that statutory treatment of September 30 is part of the bargaining agenda for your next round of collective bargaining, especially in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador, where provincial governments have taken no action for workers in the private sector.
Members are strongly encouraged to use September 30 as intended: an opportunity to participate in events in your community to take action for reconciliation. If there are survivors or intergenerational survivors in your workplace or your local, follow their lead on how the day is marked.
As with all of Unifor's equity campaigns, affecting change is a year-round undertaking. You play a central role in Unifor's Truth and Reconciliation work.
Linked here is a non-exhaustive list of events across the country. If you don't see something near you, consider inquiring at your nearest First Nation or friendship centre.
Support is available. The 24-hour National Indian Residential School Crisis Line can be reached at 1-866-925-4419.
