Learning about reconciliation as a newcomer
If you are new to Canada, you may be hearing about the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation for the first time. September 30 honours the children who never returned home from residential schools, the people who survived them, and their families and communities. Learn about the day.
You can begin learning before September 30. This week offers a chance to hear directly from Indigenous speakers and think about your own place in this work, whether you arrived recently or have lived here for years.
Start with the history
Residential schools separated Indigenous children from their families and communities. The Canadian government funded a system intended to remove their cultures and languages. Churches operated many of the schools. Children faced harsh punishment for speaking their own languages, and many experienced abuse. The harm continues to affect families today. The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation explains this history and preserves Survivors’ accounts. Survivors are people who lived through the residential school system.
Reconciliation involves learning the truth about these harms and working towards respectful relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. It also requires changes in government and institutions. The National Council for Reconciliation explains that progress must bring real improvements to the lives of First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples.
Why newcomers are part of this learning
Learning about Canada includes learning about the peoples who lived here long before the country was formed. First Nations, Inuit and Métis are distinct Indigenous Peoples, with different histories, cultures and languages.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission made a specific recommendation about newcomer education. Call to Action 93 asks the federal government to work with national Indigenous organizations to improve information for newcomers and the citizenship test. It calls for a fuller account of Indigenous history, including treaties and residential schools. Treaties are formal agreements between nations.
This gives settlement organizations a practical task: make this learning part of helping people understand their new home. Newcomers also need accessible ways to ask questions and find reliable information.
A chance to listen this week
The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation is offering free online learning during Truth and Reconciliation Week, September 21–25.
On Tuesday, September 22, at 1 p.m. Eastern time, its programme includes Growing and Strengthening Indigenous-Newcomer Solidarity. Solidarity means supporting one another. This session will discuss relationships between Indigenous Peoples and newcomers, with speakers from Indigenous and newcomer-serving communities.
The sessions are for adults and are open to the public. They are available through Zoom and YouTube, with English-French and American Sign Language interpretation. Find the links on the Lunch and Learn programme page.
If Tuesday’s session has already finished when you read this, there are other opportunities this week. On Wednesday, September 23, at 1 p.m. Eastern time, a session will address false or misleading claims about residential schools. You can also read the Centre’s history resources at your own pace.
Begin close to home
For readers in London and Middlesex County, one starting point is the Chippewas of the Thames First Nation’s own history page. This neighbouring Anishinaabe community explains its identity and treaty relationships in its own words. Reading a Nation’s own account helps you learn about a particular community rather than treating all Indigenous Peoples as the same.
You can also choose a book by an Indigenous author or look for a public learning event organized by an Indigenous community. Check whether visitors are invited and follow the host’s guidance. Let people decide which personal experiences they want to share.
If you support newcomers through your work, the National Newcomer Collective for Truth and Reconciliation offers a place to learn with others in the settlement sector. Membership is free for people working in newcomer-serving roles.
Choose one resource to begin with this week. Set aside time to read or listen, note a question you want to understand better, and return to it after September 30.