Canadian IFPTE Locals Commemorate The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
Today, IFPTE Locals across Canada will be commemorating The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, also known as Orange Shirt Day.
It is a statutory holiday that recognizes the tragic legacy of residential schools, the missing children, the families left behind and the survivors of these institutions. The day is part of an effort to promote awareness and education of the residential school system and the impact it has had on Indigenous communities.
The wearing of the orange shirt as a symbol for Truth and Reconciliation day originated from the story of Phyllis Jack Webstad who had a new orange shirt taken from her on her first day at residential school. The orange shirt has become a symbol of the residential schools forced assimilation upon Indigenous children.