National Day for Truth and Reconciliation 2024: Learning through listening

General Updates

Sep 23, 2024

September 30, 2024, will mark the fourth annual National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. On this day, we are called to pause our daily routines and honour the Indigenous children who never returned home from residential schools, as well as the survivors, their families, and their communities.

While we at ACFO-ACAF acknowledge the significance of this annual reminder of the injustices and tragedies faced by Indigenous Peoples, we believe that in order to create a better future, there must be a commitment to taking action throughout the entire year. Here is a list of some of the things we have done over the past few years to help drive this change that we hope to see:

Secured new provisions in the collective agreement for Indigenous members of the CT Community, which included five total days of leave, including two paid days, for self-identified Indigenous employees to engage in traditional Indigenous practices which include land-based activities like hunting, fishing, and harvesting;

Organized several training sessions for our staff and members of the CT Community, featuring Indigenous facilitators who shared their personal stories and insights on key moments in Canadian history;

Arranged for the catering of multiple small events to be supplied by the Native Women’s Association of Canada (opens in new tab); and

Altered our mission statement to reflect our commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, and anti-racism (EDIAR) as we look to better embrace the unique backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences of individuals within our organization, the CT Community, and the FI Community at NAV Canada.

We take great pride in these initiatives and are committed to seeking new opportunities to honour Indigenous history in our work over the coming year.

Learning opportunities

Over the next week leading up to the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, ACFO-ACAF members will have a number of opportunities to attend informal information sessions that will help us to further our understanding of the culture and realities of Indigenous Peoples in Canada, both in the past and present.

National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation – Lunch and learns

In the week leading up to the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (opens in new tab) will be hosting hour-long workshops every day from 1:00 to 2:00 pm ET that are free to attend. Below you can find a full list of the sessions that are being held this week and the registration links:

Monday, September 23: Health related impacts of the residential school system (register here, opens in new tab)

Tuesday, September 24: Allyship and confronting unconscious bias (register here, opens in new tab)

Wednesday, September 25: Impacts and addressing Indigenous identity fraud (register here, opens in new tab)

Thursday, September 26: A community perspective of United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (register here, opens in new tab)

Friday, September 27: How do we address the barriers to reconciliation? (register here, opens in new tab)

EDIAR Learning Series: Two-Spirit

On September 17, we hosted our most recent EDIAR Learning Series session which featured a presentation from Teddy Syrette, a Two-Spirit, Anishnaabe Mental Health Expert from Rankin Reserve of Batchewana Nation. Teddy joined us to discuss the social justice advocacy work they have done for Two-Spirit, First Nations, and LGBTQ+ peoples and communities.  

ACFO-ACAF members who missed the session, but are interested in watching the recording, can do so through the ACFO-ACAF member portal.

Support Indigenous-led organizations and businesses

If you’re looking for additional ways to support Indigenous Peoples across the country, you can check out these Indigenous-led businesses, organizations, and resources that provide insight into Indigenous voices: