A Nation remains divided regarding the effects of the Residential Schools Program perpetrated on our neighbours in the Indigenous community, but it appears that we may have turned a corner on this subject.
The Residential Schools Program remains a black-mark on our Nation’s history. The Government of Canada, in tandem with some religious organizations, was responsible for removing Indigenous children from their families and attempting to strip their Native Culture from them at several Residential Schools around the Nation. It has been called a form of “cultural genocide”.
Adding to the injustice, it has been told for many decades that terrible abuses occurred at these facilities and, until the recent horrific discoveries of unmarked graves at the site of a former Residential School in Kamloops, the victims and their families have not been believed.
The tragic note is that it took the recent discovery in Kamloops, followed by similar discoveries across Canada, before many started to pay attention to the issue. In tandem with the concerns regarding the murdered and missing Indigenous women in BC, it is time for all Canadians to open up to the plight of the Indigenous peoples of Canada.
Since 2013, September 30th has been recognized and commemorated across Canada as Orange Shirt Day. This year the Government of Canada has proclaimed September 30th as a National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, not only a day to memorialize the lost children, victims and survivors of the Residential Schools, but also a day to hear their stories, know their truths and to help foster understanding and allow the process of healing to begin.
We here at Teamsters Local 464 would like to express our support for all Indigenous peoples across Canada on this first day of observance.
Paul Barton
Secretary-Treasurer