Ian Baird Staff reporter

Truth and reconciliation is something critical. A process which is the responsibility of every Canadian to acknowledge and respect Indigenous rights and titles. To do that, they need to learn and recognize the history of what happened and to make sure that history doesn’t repeat itself. In Mr. Findleys Grade 10 new media class a student by the name of Fin Price Said this about the day off for the national truth and reconciliation day. “I think its a good idea so people can go out and participate in events and learn more by listening to the stories that are told by people who went through the residential school acts”

There are a lot of terms on what truth and reconciliation actually means, and some terms on what it doesn’t mean. Being part of reconciliation means you need to help with solving the problem even if you don’t know about what happened, by educating yourself and finding the truth. People who were affected by the residential school program don’t want you to think that truth and reconciliation day is just a day off and it ticks off a box on your calendar. It’s a day to reflect on the mistakes made in the past and how we can move forward, building relationships with good people who do the right things. Truth and reconciliation isn’t a trend or a day off, it is not about the loss of rights for non-Indigenous people. It is a day to learn and to listen. 

Most schools in BC stop learning about residential schools in grade 7 or 8, this isn’t enough. They are only sugar-coating the actual truth and leaving out all the bad parts. So, after grade 8 most kids forget about this ongoing issue which has re-opened itself recently with the unmarked graves that were dug up. 

Claudette Commanda the executive director of the First Nations Confederacy of Cultural Education Centers said “215 little voices, woke the country, 215 voices spoke to the world, from the moment those little ones went into the ground they were speaking in spirit”.  

Mari Massine, “Reconciliation requires daily efforts from everyone, and this effort we must carry out for all time, for it has no end date or finish line, on this first national day for truth and reconciliation, I urge you to pause reflect on Canadas full history”. Mari is saying that even if you just arrived in Canada to learn about the truth. 

Truth and reconciliation for Tedd Godfred meant for him “Everything’s changed, we re-learn… we get back on the land, we do the things that people have done that makes u happy healthy and strong… that’s where we go… that’s how we heal ourselves” 

https://www.cbc.ca/news/thenational

https://www.ictinc.ca/blog/what-reconciliation-is-and-what-it-is-not

https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/campaigns/national-day-truth-reconciliation.html