Canada celebrates 1st National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

According to the Vietnam News Agency correspondent in Ottawa, September 30 was considered a statutory holiday by Canada's federal law earlier this year, as the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) recommended in its 94 calls to action. mine.

This is a day to remember the children who lost their lives while being forced to attend boarding schools; and also to share with survivors, families and communities still affected by the "legacy" of this boarding school system.

To mark Canada's first time celebrating the Day for Truth and Reconciliation, hundreds of people gathered at a ceremony held on Parliament Hill.

On this occasion, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued a statement calling on Canadians to reflect on the impact and legacy of boarding schools, especially the discovery of hundreds of unnamed graves near boarding schools. old.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth on the same day acknowledged there was still much work to be done to "heal and continue to build an inclusive society" and stressed that she joined all Canadians on National Day. for Truth and Reconciliation is being commemorated for the first time to reflect the traumatic history that Indigenous peoples have endured in boarding schools in Canada.

Meanwhile, Governor-General of Canada, Mrs. Mary May Simon, the first indigenous person to take on the role of representing the Queen of England in the "land of maple leaves", stressed that September 30 became a holiday as an opportunity to Canadians stand together with selflessness and tolerance and together build a better future for everyone. According to her, although it is an "unpleasant truth" to look back on the horrors of the past as well as the sufferings of indigenous peoples, "we try to acknowledge the horrors of the past." kings of the past, the sufferings suffered by indigenous peoples, let us all stand together with forgiveness and tolerance, and together build a better future for all." .

In May 2021, the whole world was shocked when the remains of 215 Aboriginal children were discovered on the grounds of the former Kamloops boarding school. During 1870-1990, boarding schools were part of a federal policy aimed at integrating Aboriginal children into European culture. These children were forced to convert to Christianity and were not allowed to speak their mother tongue. Many children have been beaten and verbally abused. In 2008, the Government of Canada apologized in Parliament and admitted that physical and sexual abuse in schools was rampant. There are 138 boarding schools on the TRC list, and the last one closed in Saskatchewan in 1996.

TRC's Missing Children Project has so far recorded more than 4,100 deaths in schools, but the full number could be as high as 6,000. The 2015 report noted a lack of data in existing records regarding the deceased student's name, gender, or cause of death.

September 30 is also Orange Shirt Day, reminiscent of the story of Phyllis Webstad, a former boarding school student who was stripped of his orange shirt on his first day of boarding school. Across Canada, people are encouraged to wear orange to spread awareness, support Indigenous-run businesses/organizations, and take time to learn and reflect.

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