The FSA Commemorates the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
Our offices will be closed on Friday, September 30 to mark the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (NDTR). The NDTR honours the victims of residential schools, their families, and communities. The schools operated on this land between 1831 and 1996, part of a broader project of nation building that experts in the field of Canadian History now recognize as genocide.
The NDTR was established following the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). Launched in 2008, the TRC itself grew out of a settlement between survivors of residential schools, their representatives, and the groups responsible: the federal government and churches. The TRC’s mandate was to conduct research and inform Canadians about the practices surrounding and within the schools. It concluded in 2015 with 94 calls to action. Articles 6 – 12 focus on education in particular.
FSA Board member and Advisor in Indigenous Initiatives Zaa Joseph has previously shared his experience of the generational legacy of Residential Schools and healing.
The FSA believes that to realize our core values of integrity, solidarity, empowerment, and equity, we need to foster working and learning environments that encourage people to reach their full potential and that this involves removing impediments to social, cultural, and economic development that continue to harm our Indigenous comrades.
We have made a donation to the Urban Native Youth Association to help support Indigenous youth in our community, recognizing that the work of reconciliation goes well beyond mere monetary contributions.
Leave a reply →