Si vous parlez français

  • Home
  • News & Events
  • PCLC to be closed to recognize National Truth and Reconciliation Day
Print

PCLC to be closed to recognize National Truth and Reconciliation Day

The Peterborough Community Legal Centre will be closed on Friday, September 30th 2022 in recognition of the 10th annual Orange Shirt Day and 2nd annual National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

PCLC is located in Nogojiwanong on Treaty 20 traditional territory that has been stewarded by the Michi Saagiig Anishinaabe for time immemorial. As such, at PCLC, we are all Treaty People and we take our responsibility to justice for and reconciliation with Indigenous peoples very seriously.

Honorable Justice Murray Sinclair, Chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, points to education as the best way to approach truth and reconciliation in Canada:

“Education is what got us into this mess, and education will get us out.”

— Hon. Murray Sinclair

Hon. Sinclair is referring to the importance of education on residential schools for all non-Indigenous people implicated in systems of colonialism. Significantly, the TRC Calls to Action specifically implicate lawyers and legal professionals calling on the profession to provide opportunities to learn about the history and legacy of residential schools, among other issues.

This is the 3rd year that PCLC recognizes the significance of September 30th. By closing for the day, we are providing our staff with the chance to pursue opportunities for learning through quiet reflection, participation in community events, self-study and more. While learning and reconciliation are not acts that can be relegated to one day, taking the day to pursue this work is important.

Listed below are a handful of suggestions made by PCLC staff to learn more about the TRC, the Calls to Action, residential schools and other aspects of Indigenous resilience. Perhaps you will find these resources helpful as well!

The work of educating ourselves as a means of reconciliation becomes even more meaningful when we share what we learn with our community, with our families, and when we utilize our new knowledge to hold power to account.

In just under a month, Peterborough will elect a new mayor and a councillor for each ward. We encourage you to take note of where and how our municipal candidates show up on September 30th this year, and their plans for reconciliation in our city throughout their term. Additionally, we encourage you to continue to hold your existing elected provincial and federal representatives accountable to truth and reconciliation, including the Calls to Action.

Remember to take care throughout your learning and un-learning process. If you are Indigenous, a residential school Survivor or a family member of a survivor in need of emotional support, a national crisis line is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week: 1-800-925-4419.

Events:

Gidinawendimin – We Are All Related 2022 (https://nctr.ca/gidinawendimin/)

September 30th, 2022 10 am to 3 pm at Nogojiwanong Friendship Centre (580 Cameron St)
Orange Shirt Day reading of the Orange Shirt story. Listen to a reading of the Orange Shirt Story, take home a copy of the book with a sheppards pie meal. Weather permitting, should it rain the event will become a drop-in/pick-up. No need to register.

Background Resources:

The story of Orange Shirt Day (September 30th)
https://www.orangeshirtday.org/phyllis-story.html

Calls to Action, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Report, 2015
https://nctr.ca/records/reports/
https://ehprnh2mwo3.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Calls_to_Action_English2.pdf

The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
Read https://justice.gc.ca/eng/declaration/read-lire.html
Video https://justice.gc.ca/eng/declaration/video2.html

Treaties (https://native-land.ca/)

Williams, Doug. Michi Saagiig Nishnaabeg: This is our Territory. ARP Books (https://arpbooks.org/product/michi-saagiig-nishnaabeg/)