To mark the inaugural National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, the OACPL is asking its members to consider making a donation to an organization working toward reconciliation. There are countless charities and non-profits across Canada working towards reconciliation. You may want to consider donating to the following organizations:
- The First Nations Child and Family Caring Society promotes the rights of Indigenous children through a reconciliation lens. Significantly, they won a landmark ruling against the federal government in 2016 (click here). To learn more about the Caring Society click here.
- Indspire is a national charity that invests in the education of Indigenous youths. The goal is to ensure that within a generation, every student graduates from high school. To learn more about Indspire click here.
- The Gord Downie and Chanie Wenjack Fund launched national awareness campaigns in schools, created resource centres (Legacy Space Program), and youth programs as a means of achieving reconciliation. To learn more about the Gord Downie and Chanie Wenjack Fund click here.
If you haven’t already, you can order an official Orange Shirt from one of these suppliers (click here). We are asking our members to consider wearing their orange shirts during their court appearances during the first week of October. Members are encouraged to read the following speech in court appearances on October 1: “I’m wearing an orange shirt today, the colour of the Every Child Matters campaign, to recognize and to honour the children who did not make it home from Residential Schools, as well as their families and all survivors.”
In order to mark National Truth and Reconciliation Day, the Courts in Ontario will be closed. Regardless of whether your office will be open or closed that day, members are encouraged to consider adding an acknowledgment of the day to their email signature line. An example of this can be found below. Members are welcome to tailor it as they see fit.
You can order Phyliss Orange Shirt book from these Indigenous-owned bookstores: GoodMinds (click here), Strong Nations (click here), Iron Dog Books (click here), or Massy Books (click here).
