Canada’s Second National Day for Truth & Reconciliation
Today we mark the second National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in remembering and honouring the children, the Survivors, the families, and the communities impacted by residential schools. We cannot reach a more inclusive future without coming to terms with the harm inflicted on generations of Indigenous peoples in the past and its enduring impact. Today also reminds us that there is much more work to do.
Today, we reflect on this damaging legacy of residential schools and the trauma caused to people in First Nations on Turtle Island, which continues in the present day. Recognizing this painful history and injustices committed against Indigenous peoples in Turtle Island help reaffirm our collective drive toward reconciliation. We at Cumberland Strategies express an unwavering commitment to viewing our work through the lens of reconciliation between Indigenous communities and all people on Turtle Island. We know that genuinely embracing reconciliation and working towards it every day, may become a cornerstone of our society. As Chief Dr. Robert Joseph states, “This is not just a one-time discussion, checking off things that we ought to do and thinking it is done…When we embrace reconciliation as a core value, we will recognize it for all time – from generation to generation to generation. And if we don’t do that, we will always return to these places of marginalization and separation, back to hatred from love…This is not a project and one-time initiative.”