‘We want true action’: Londoners mark National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
Global News
The new federal statutory holiday was introduced by the Canadian government drawn from one of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 Calls To Action.
Over 1,000 people came out to Dundas Place in London, Ont., on Thursday night to mark the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation as well as Orange Shirt Day.
The new federal statutory holiday was introduced by the Canadian government over the summer and is drawn from one of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 Calls To Action, a report that was filed in 2015.
It also coincides with the annual Orange Shirt Day, which encourages the wearing of an orange shirt to honour the survivors of Canada’s residential school system, as well as the thousands of Indigenous children who never made it home.
In London, the day was marked with several events, including an evening Indigenous pop-up market and Indigenous knowledge share at Dundas Place, hosted by the organizers of the Turtle Island Healing Walk.
“Focusing on the words, truth and reconciliation and when you look up the definition of those, it’s pretty straight forward and I think we can all continue to take these steps forward,” said Elyssa Rose, organizer of the Turtle Island Healing Walk.
Rose said after the success of the Turtle Island Healing Walk back in July, which occurred less than two months after hundreds of unmarked graves at residential schools were discovered, they wanted to continue “healing.”
Over 10,000 people gathered in Victoria Park on July 1, 2021, to join the Turtle Island Healing Walk on Canada Day to honour the Indigenous children found in unmarked graves at former residential schools.
“Reconciliation needs to start with the non-indigenous population,” said Adrian Chrisjohn, Chief of the Oneida Nation of the Thames.
