Dear Christopher,
Today, as Canada observes the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, we at Amnesty International Canada join you in honouring the lives of First Nations, Inuit and Métis children uprooted from their families across Turtle Island.
Canada is still reckoning with its colonial history and violent treatment of the land’s First Nations. We owe these truths to the remarkable courage of every Residential School Survivor and family member who came forward and shared their story.
Much has happened since December 2015, when the Truth and Reconciliation released its final report and 94 calls to action. Yet far too little has tangibly changed for Indigenous Nations, communities, and peoples.
Indigenous Peoples across Canada still endure the weight of a past that has not passed, a past that still seeps into government policy and continues to be felt through generations. Our collective responsibility is to ensure the lives of Indigenous children broken by residential schools are never forgotten.
Memory, however, should not limit us to regretful looks at the past, nor should it paralyze us into guilt. Memory requires us to remain alert and continuously examine Canada’s contemporary treatment of Indigenous Peoples.
To have meaning and to bear fruit, our work and commitment to Truth and Reconciliation must be a daily act. The Indigenous Nations we work with in the pursuit of justice constantly remind us that living in Canada as an Indigenous person is to experience a profound sense of injustice and invisibility.
Today, I think of the unspeakable grief of Indigenous mothers who saw their children forcibly removed from them and the countless Indigenous mothers who continue to lose their children to foster care, inadequate healthcare, or over-incarceration. I am moved by the strength and the power these mothers show in the face of continual adversity as they demand a better future for the next generation.
We must do more than remember. We must act.
As an activist and advocate, I have always believed in the power of truth as a cornerstone for change. I believe in today’s generation of Canadians, a generation determined to learn about the past and deeply committed to building a different future. Today offers us a moment to reflect and recommit to this task and the 94 calls to action set forth by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
LEARN MORE
Our offices will be closed on Monday, October 4th, to allow our staff to actively observe this important day.
I invite you to explore the resources we’ve gathered on our Amnesty International Canada website. Not only will you find recommended reading materials to deepen your understanding of the ongoing effects of residential schools, but you will also find ways to take meaningful action.
Together, we can keep the flame of truth burning bright.
In hope, courage, and solidarity,
Ketty Nivyabandi
P.S. Let this day remind us that we can and must do better. For every child who did not come home. For every family that still mourns. For every community striving to heal. Let us be allies in their journey, standing shoulder to shoulder, moving forward with purpose and respect.
Photo: Dance during an event to commemorate the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, on Sept. 30, 2022. (Photo by Liang Sen/Xinhua via Getty Images)
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