Dear SVP Partners & Community:
In June of this year, the Canadian federal government passed legislation to mark September 30, 2021 as a National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. It was originally proposed in 2015 by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, which under Action 80 called upon the federal government, in collaboration with Aboriginal peoples, to establish a statutory holiday “to honour Survivors, their families, and communities, and ensure that public commemoration of the history and legacy of residential schools remains a vital component of the reconciliation process.”
Here are just a few examples of current conditions that motivate us to honour this day:
- Indigenous youth, women and men are highly over-represented in the prison systems
- The foster care system is comprised of 52% Indigenous and First Nations children, yet they only represent 7.7% of the children in Canada
- Many First Nations communities still live without clean drinking water
- The indigenous female homicide rate is roughly 4.5 times higher than that of all other women in Canada
- Of the estimated 3,200 unmarked graves at residential schools, the majority have not yet been located
- In 2019, 48% of First Nations households did not have enough income to cover their food expenses.
The SVP staff have brainstormed some ideas for ways to commemorate this day. We want to encourage all members of the SVP community in joining us to honour the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, whether through personal reflection, education and awareness activities, or by participating in Orange Shirt Day or other events in our communities:
- Read The Orange Shirt Story by Phillys Webstad
- Discover other Indigenous authors and read their books
- Watch online events hosted by the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation
- Review the 94 Truth and Reconciliation calls to action and commit to (at least) one of them
- Identify and connect with a local Indigenous-serving organization
- Read the Executive Summary of the Final Report- NATIONAL INQUIRY INTO MISSING AND MURDERED INDIGENOUS WOMEN AND GIRLS
- Investigate and learn more about the settled land that you, your parents and grandparents came to live on
With Gratitude,
Rose, Taryn & Jill
SVP Waterloo Region