Draft Resolution for Municipal Recognition of September 30 as National Day for Truth and Reconciliation; Municipal Resources
Recent discoveries of remains and unmarked graves across Western Canada have led to increased calls for all levels of government to immediately address the recommendations in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (TRC) Calls to Action.
All Canadians and all orders of government have a role to play in reconciliation. The TRC’s 94 Calls to Action are addressed primarily to the federal, provincial, and territorial governments but also to municipal governments, the corporate sector, and the broader Canadian society. They cover a wide range of government responsibilities including child welfare, education, language and culture, health, justice, commemoration, museums and archives, training for public servants, and a few specific initiatives related to reconciliation.
At the August 14th Board Meeting, the AMO Board of Directors approved two resource papers to assist municipal councils’ efforts to support Truth and Reconciliation.
The first resource paper provides an overview of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (TRC’s) Calls to Action that municipal governments can address themselves.
The second resource paper provides ideas and options for what municipal leaders, councils can do to better support and engage Indigenous residents and neighbours at this time.
These AMO resource papers are meant to be organic and to be revised/updated when appropriate and more municipal resource materials are available.
Municipal Recognition of September 30th as National Day for Truth and Reconciliation – Draft Resolution
The AMO Board of Directors encourages members to recognize September 30th as National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (also known as Orange Shirt Day with the adoption of the following resolution:
WHEREAS the Truth and Reconciliation Commission released its final report on June 2, 2015, which included 94 Calls to Action to redress the legacy of residential schools and advance the process of Canadian reconciliation;
AND WHEREAS the recent discoveries of remains and unmarked graves across Canada have led to increased calls for all levels of government to address the recommendations in the TRC’s Calls to Action;
AND WHEREAS all Canadians and all orders of government have a role to play in reconciliation;
AND WHEREAS Recommendation #80 of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission called upon the federal government, in collaboration with Aboriginal peoples, to establish, as a statutory holiday, a National Day for Truth and Reconciliation to ensure that public commemoration of the history and legacy of residential schools remains a vital component of the reconciliation process;
AND WHEREAS the Federal Government has announced September 30th, 2021, as the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (National Orange Shirt Day) and a statutory holiday;
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Council of the [municipality] of [place name] does hereby commit to recognizing September 30th, 2021, as the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (National Orange Shirt Day) by sharing the stories of residential school survivors, their families, and communities.
