National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
This September 30th marks the fifth National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. This is a day to remember and honour the Indigenous children stolen from their families and communities and sent to residential schools and it is a day to stand in solidarity with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples. It’s important that we all reflect on actions we can take to be strong allies in our workplaces, unions, and communities. This day was created as a direct response to action 80 of the 95 calls to action outlined in the final report from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), which was published in 2015. In the 10 years since, unfortunately very little of the calls to action have been completed. The non-profit group Indigenous Watchdog provides monitoring and reporting on the status of the 94 TRC calls to action, showing what has not been started, what has stalled, and what is currently in progress. It is important for us to think of these calls to action year-round, not just on September 30th, and encourage all levels of government to work harder to implement these calls to action. Consider learning from nations and organizations such as the Songhees Nation, the Esquimalt Nation, the W̱SÁNEĆ Leadership Council, the Victoria Native Friendship Centre, and the Indian Residential School Survivors Society. As CUPE 951 members, it’s important for us to stand in solidarity with all workers. Indigenous workers want and deserve what every worker wants: safe and decent work and wages, and to be treated with dignity and fairness in the workplace.