The Survivors’ Flag is an expression of remembrance, meant to honour residential school Survivors and all the lives and communities impacted by the residential school system in Canada (learn more about the Survivors’ Flag).
September 30, 2022, marks the one-year anniversary that as a nation we have begun to observe the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation, also called Orange Shirt Day.
Orange Shirt Day is an Indigenous-led grassroots day that honors the children who survived residential schools and remembers those who did not. The story is about a First Nation girl named Phyllis Webstad, on her first day of school, arrived dressed in a new orange shirt, which school officials took from her. This act has become a symbol of the stripping away of the culture, freedom, and self-esteem of the Indigenous children over generations.
At CDTO we acknowledge that knowing the truth is the first step towards reconciliation. Here are the steps we are taking:
- Acknowledging the land on which our College sits, in our Council and Committee meetings and presentations to registrants and stakeholders.
- Providing our registrants with a list of resources that highlight the voices and experiences of the First Nations, Inuit and Metis communities.
- Exploring the truth about Indigenous matters by inviting our leadership team to participate in 4 Seasons of Reconciliation, a First Nations University online course that promotes a renewed relationship between Indigenous Peoples and Canadians through transformative learning about truth and reconciliation.
- Learning from Patricia Baxter, a member of Sheguiandah First Nation, about Indigenous matters, definitions of Indigenous reconciliation, cultural competence and understanding and the meaning of the land acknowledgement.
We encourage you to wear orange today to raise awareness of the very tragic legacy of residential schools, and to honor the thousands of survivors.
