The more righteous will chide this behavior, pointing out the myriad of statistics that demonstrate the cruel reality of Indigenous life in Canada today. As an arts and culture community, many people will post orange squares on social media or scour the web for the best songs, books, and films by Indigenous artists to assuage feelings of guilt. The news continues to reveal tragedies on a regular basis but for many outside the Indigenous community, knowing how to turn sorrow into concrete actions alludes them. The day after this historic holiday, however, many of the issues plaguing Canada will remain. McGill University has eloquently described the need to “…recognize and commemorate the intergenerational harm that residential schools have caused to Indigenous families and communities, and to honour those who have been affected by this injustice.” These children were subjected to the most brutal abuse one can imagine and the damage to these nations will likely take decades to repair. This new statutory holiday will give Canadians a chance to reflect on the legacy of Canada’s residential school system, which sought to destroy Indigenous cultures through forced family separation, ancestral language suppression, and the forbidding of all Indigenous cultural expression under the guise of a national network of Christian boarding schools. Truth and Reconciliation in the Arts and Culture Sector Menon Dwarka, Senior Vice PresidentĬanada will recognize its first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on Thursday, September 30, 2021.

Public speaking reflection paper