By Jeremy Davis
On November 27, 2023, the newly elected Manitoba NDP government — led by Wab Kinew, Canada’s first First Nations provincial premier of a Canadian province — made good on an election pledge to establish the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation as a provincial statutory holiday.
Through Bill 4, introduced in the Manitoba Legislature, September 30 would become a statutory holiday for Manitobans to reflect upon and recognize the history, legacy and impact of the residential school system. In a news release issued by the provincial government on November 27, 2023, Premier Kinew said: “Manitobans from all walks of life are ready to embrace reconciliation — whether it’s participating in school events, wearing a WASAC jersey to a Jets game, or talking to their kids about our history and the future we want.”
The establishment of September 30 as a provincial statutory holiday responds directly to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Call to Action Number 80, which states: “We call upon the federal government, in collaboration with Aboriginal peoples, to establish, as a statutory holiday, a National Day for Truth and Reconciliation to honour Survivors, their families, and communities, and ensure that public commemoration of the history and legacy of residential schools remains a vital component of the reconciliation process.”
The date was chosen because September 30 was around the time when children were put into residential schools.
The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is also known as Orange Shirt Day. According to orangeshirtday.org, Orange Shirt Day recognizes residential school survivors and their families and the journey of healing. The history of the orange shirt began in B.C. in 1973 when six-year-old Phyllis Webstad wore a shiny new orange shirt bought by her grandmother, and which was taken from her on her first day of residential school. While the orange shirt symbolizes the stripping away of culture and freedom experienced by residential school students, it has also become a symbol of hope, reconciliation and a commitment to a better future. At its heart, Orange Shirt Day recognizes the concept of “Every Child Matters”.
In a news release issued on July 3, 2024, in a follow-up to the establishment of Orange Shirt Day as a statutory holiday, the provincial government announced the creation of an Orange Shirt Day Fund which allocates up to $800,000 in funding ‘to support events and activities that encourage Manitobans to reflect on the impacts of the residential school system.’ In the same news release, Premier Kinew said “I want every child and every family in Manitoba to have the opportunity to reflect on the legacy of residential schools, the children who didn’t come home, and the profound impacts of that trauma on families that still exists today. Our government is proud that Manitobans will be able to observe it as a provincial holiday for the first time this year, and we’re supporting projects that will help bring more Manitobans together to mark Orange Shirt Day.”
In the words of the Honourable Murray Sinclair, C.C., M.S.C. “We have to learn how to talk to, and about, each other, with greater respect than has been the case in the past. We may not achieve reconciliation within my lifetime, or within the lifetime of my children, but we will be able to achieve it if we all commit to working towards it properly. Part of that commitment is that every year [on September 30] we will stand up together and we will say never again. What we did in this country was wrong, and we will never allow that to happen again.”
Sinclair served as the chair of the Indian Residential Schools Truth and Reconciliation Commission which documented the history of residential schools in Canada and issued 94 Calls to Action. It was with great honour that the Winnipeg Regional Real Estate Board inducted Sinclair into its Citizens Hall of Fame in 2022. A bronze bust in his honour stands at the Citizens Hall of Fame site at Assiniboine Park.
For more information about Orange Shirt Day, please visit www.OrangeShirtDay.org
For more information about the Honourable Murray Sinclair’s induction into the Winnipeg Regional Real Estate Board’s Citizens Hall of Fame, please visit www.winnipegregionalrealestateboard.ca/community/citizens-hall-of-fame/inductee/48/The-Honourable-Murray-Sinclair
I encourage readers to consider nominating a deserving citizen for the 2025 Citizens Hall of Fame induction by October 30, 2024. More information on the nomination process can be found at https://www.winnipegregionalrealestateboard.ca/uploads/public/photos/MarketRelease/2023/04-april/June%2003/Sept%202023/October%202023/Nov/Dec%202024/CHOF%20Nomination%20Form.pdf
Visit www.tourismwinnipeg.ca or scan the QR code below for a list of special local programming and events to help you honour the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Winnipeg. More information can also be found at www.rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca and www.gov.mb.ca/inr/osd.html#events
Jeremy Davis is the Winnipeg Regional Real Estate Board’s Director External Relations & Market Intelligence.