Today is both the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day across Canada.
The country that we call Canada is actually one part of Turtle Island, the ancient name for all of North America used by many Indigenous peoples, including those of the Iroquois and Anishinaabe nations, since time immemorial.
The specific lands upon which Character Division was founded and is based are historically and culturally the territory of Tkaronto, a place of meeting and abundance that has been home to Indigenous communities for millennia. It is covered by Treaty 13 with the Mississaugas of the Credit, and is also the traditional territory of many other nations, including, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples. All of our artists, collaborators, and staff recognize the enduring and important presence of many diverse First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples on this land, which continues to this day.
Today we join millions of others across Turtle Island in wearing orange to remember the tragic legacy of the residential schools, which were established as part of official policies of cultural genocide against Indigenous peoples, enacted and carried out by successive Canadian governments, as well as individuals and other institutions acting on its behalf.
With a heavy heart today that we remember the missing children who never returned home, the families they left behind, and the Survivors of these institutions while reaffirming our ongoing commitment to working towards true reconciliation between Settlers and Indigenous people as continuous work.
We encourage you to learn more about Truth and Reconciliation, Orange Shirt Day, and to join the ongoing effort to decolonize by listening to, learning from, and standing in solidarity with Indigenous communities across this land.
This post was written with guidance and resources from The Orange Shirt Day Society, The City of Toronto and the Government of Canada.
