Kingston, Ontario. Mayor Recognizes National Truth and Reconciliation Day as a Civic Holiday – Kingston | Globalnews.ca

The inaugural National Truth and Reconciliation Day means many things to indigenous peoples. It is a day of mourning but also of cultural celebration.

“Many of our people remember who we are, where we come from, speak our languages, remember our traditions and our culture. Those were the things that residential schools tried to take from us. So knowing that we still have those things is cause for celebration, ”says Jan Hill, Director of Indigenous Initiatives at Queen’s University.

Since 2013, Canadians have been wearing orange T-shirts on September 30 as a symbolic gesture to promote awareness of the country’s residential school system.

Hill says the day has a lot of meaning, for both indigenous and non-indigenous peoples.

“It is much more than wearing a T-shirt, because it is a bit performative. I think it’s great to take the time to learn, to reflect, to commit to extending your own learning. And extend what he learned to his circle of influence, ”says Hill.

Even though the Ford government decided not to mark the day as a legal holiday in Ontario, some cities, like Kingston, decided to take matters into their own hands, declaring September 30 a “civic” holiday.

A holy fire was held in Confederation Park, across from City Hall in the morning. The ceremony was not filmed out of respect for tradition, but the Mayor of Kingston was there to respect the importance of truth and reconciliation in the city, one with deep ties to Canada’s first prime minister, Sir John A. MacDonald, one of the first architects of the residential school system.

Mayor Paterson recognized the work that needs to be done.

“As a city, we made a very clear commitment that we are going to talk about the good and the bad of Canadian history,” Paterson said.

“We are a city steeped in Canadian history, and there are good chapters and there are also very dark chapters.”

Hill says, “This is a time to reflect, learn and listen. Listen to indigenous peoples, because indigenous peoples have been telling all these truths for many years. And it is important because we will never come to reconciliation without acknowledging and acknowledging the truth ”.

Truths, he says, of the tragedies imposed on indigenous peoples throughout the country’s history, and truths that must be heard before Canada as a nation can move toward reconciliation, not just one day, but every day.

2:36Calls are growing for National Truth and Reconciliation Day to be a provincial holiday in Ontario