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TORONTO – Ontario’s only First Nation representative at Queen’s Park plans to soon table proposed legislation, in his own Indigenous language, to have the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation declared a paid provincial holiday.

The day is a federal statutory holiday, but not a provincial one in Ontario.

New Democrat deputy leader Sol Mamakwa, who represents the northwestern riding of Kiiwetinoong, wants Ontario to follow the federal government’s lead and said he hopes Premier Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservatives will support the idea.

“It’s always First Nations who take the day off and do their thing and go reconcile, but I think it’s important for other Ontarians to have that day off to acknowledge, to reflect, to mourn, to learn of the real history of residential school,” Mamakwa said in an interview.

The day recognizes the abuse suffered by Inuit, First Nations and Metis people at hundreds of state- and church-run residential schools across the country.

It is a statutory holiday for federally regulated workers and employees in some other provinces such as British Columbia.

The day is an evolution of Orange Shirt Day, an initiative started in 2013 and inspired by Phyllis Webstad’s story of having the orange shirt her grandmother gave her taken away when she arrived at a residential school in 1973 at the age of six.

Mamakwa, who was forced into a residential school himself, said he’s seen the horrors of those institutions first-hand.

He plans to introduce a private member’s bill in November to push for a provincial holiday.

“There’s no wrong in it, it’s the only right thing to do,” said Mamakwa, who is from Kingfisher Lake First Nation.

“Rather than just a day of reflection, rather than just a day of mourning, it should be more than that, where all Ontarians have a day off and they can learn about the that day, what Orange Shirt Day is, what truth and reconciliation is.”

Greg Rickford, Ontario’s minister of Indigenous affairs, said he was “not entirely persuaded” by Mamakwa’s idea but did not dismiss it.

“We have not reviewed the proposed legislation so we don’t want to presuppose anything,” he said in a written statement. “I am not entirely persuaded that designating the day a holiday will do it justice.”

The minister said some First Nations leaders have said a statutory holiday is currently not the appropriate approach and would rather focus on education about the legacy of residential schools and efforts to bring home children who did not return.

“Further consultation with First Nations communities, survivors, and leaders is crucial to ensure that any paths forward align with priorities for meaningful recognition,” Rickford said.

Some 150,000 First Nations, Inuit and Métis children were forced to attend residential schools, the last of which closed in 1996.

An estimated 6,000 Indigenous children died at the institutions, but many experts believe the number to be higher. The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation has recorded the names of more than 4,000 who died.

Many schools across Ontario currently mark the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation by encouraging students to wear orange shirts and to learn about residential schools. Many schools also learn about Indigeneity throughout the week and the year.

Mamakwa said he plans to first discuss his proposed billin the legislature in Anishininiimowin, known in English as Oji-Cree – which will mark only the second time the language is spoken inside the legislative chamber.

The first was when Mamakwa made history in the spring by becoming the first person to speak in a language other than English and French in the legislature.

Ontario’s legislature had not previously allowed interpreting and transcribing a language other than English and French. Mamakwa had worked with then-government house leader Paul Calandra to change the rules to include any Indigenous language spoken in Canada.

A statutory holiday for Ontarians would be another form of reconciliation, Mamakwa said.

“When we talk about this legislature, when we talk about this government, that would be reconciliation,” he said. “That’s the path, that’s the route to reconciliation and we’ve got to walk that path.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 30, 2024.

OTTAWA – A National Day for Truth and Reconciliation ceremony is planned in Ottawa this afternoon to honour the survivors of Canada’s residential school system and the children who never returned home.

The event on Parliament Hill is set to begin at 3 p.m. ET and includes survivors and Indigenous leaders, while other events are planned in locations across Canada throughout the day.

Gov. Gen. Mary Simon will host a sacred fire ceremony in the morning at Rideau Hall before joining the event on Parliament Hill alongside survivors and Indigenous leaders in the afternoon.

More than 150,000 children were forced to attend residential schools, and many survivors detailed the horrific abuse they suffered to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

An estimated 6,000 children died while attending the schools, although experts say the actual number could be much higher.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will be in Inuvik, N.W.T., to take part in events there.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 30, 2024.

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CALGARY – When Annie Korver sits down with a new corporate or small business client, she encourages them to focus first on the “truth” part of Truth and Reconciliation.

Organizations often hire Korver to help them develop a reconciliation action plan — the term for a formal document laying out what a company plans to do to improve its relationship with Canada’s Indigenous people.

But the Fernie, B.C.-based founder and principal of Rise Consulting says companies first have to grapple with the reality of this country’s painful past.

“I’ll ask them, ‘What experiences have you had? Have you read some books? Have you been in (an Indigenous) community?’ And that helps me be able to shape recommendations for how we might walk together,” said Korver.

“We always start at the beginning with the history of colonial harm, because a lot of folks, they still don’t know. That’s the norm, actually. They will say, ‘I wasn’t taught this.'”

It’s been almost a decade since the Truth and Reconciliation Commission released its final report summarizing the legacy of residential schools in Canada. As part of its report, the commission included a call to action for corporate Canada to make commitments to Indigenous people in a variety of areas, including consultation, relationship building, jobs and training.

And as businesses work to address that call, it has created opportunity for Indigenous-led companies like Korver’s. At Rise, Korver and her associates offer everything from advice on how to “decolonize” a company’s brand to how to develop an Indigenous procurement strategy.

Another consulting company, Eagle Spirit Business Development, counts cultural awareness training among the services it offers to its corporate clients. Founder Jeremy Thompson, whose office is located on the Tsuut’ina Nation near Calgary, said he helps clients recognize that some of the day-to-day phrases and terms they use in their business may be offensive to Indigenous Canadians.

“One of the most common ones is ‘totem pole,’ as in, ‘I’m the low man on the totem pole,'” Thompson said.

“And a lot of the time, people are using ‘pow-wow’ to refer to a meeting of co-workers.”

Thompson also often works as a go-between for businesses and Indigenous communities, helping to make introductions when companies want to do business or build a project on First Nations land.

This kind of role isn’t new — corporations have long hired Indigenous relations advisers to help smooth their path, especially since Indigenous consent has become a must-have when it comes to getting regulatory approval for major projects such as oil pipelines or power transmission lines.

Thompson said while some companies still see Indigenous engagement as a box they must check, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s call to action has prompted others to genuinely try to do better.

“There are some companies that are still doing the minimum requirements because they have to for regulatory or project status,” he said.

“But there are some, and I’m working with one company like this today, that are genuinely going above and beyond … they’re doing things because they want to, not because they have to.”

Some of Canada’s largest corporations have both in-house and external experts to help them with their reconciliation goals. At the Bank of Montreal, an external Indigenous advisory council provides advice, but the bank also has dedicated in-house roles.

For example, Clio Straram — BMO’s head of Indigenous banking — leads a team dedicated to offering financial services to Indigenous communities, while Amanda Ens works to improve the bank’s recruitment practices as head of Indigenous talent strategy.

“As an Indigenous woman whose family has been directly impacted by residential schools, I am very glad that my voice now contributes to decisions that support Indigenous peoples,” said Ens.

Straram said she feels her job is one of the most rewarding roles at the bank.

“The most common thing we do, which is lending to First Nations and Indigenous governments for infrastructure building on reserve and in their communities … just has such an impact on people’s lives.”

Korver of Rise Consulting said one of the best parts of working with corporate clients on Indigenous issues is witnessing what she calls “a-ha” moments. These often come when she is leading a workplace training session for non-Indigenous employees, many of whom have never given serious thought to issues like economic reconciliation or decolonization.

“You might see it in the form of goosebumps on their skin, or maybe their eyes get tears in them. They’ve made a small change, and because of that they will use their agency and influence in a bigger way to support the advancement of Truth and Reconciliation,” she said.

“I love those moments.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first publishedSept. 29, 2024.