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10 years ago, Justice Murray Sinclair (Chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission) spoke these words in a talk entitled, “What is Reconciliation": 

"...Because it took us so many generations to get to this point, it’s going to take us at least a few generations to be able to say that we are making progress. We cannot look for quick and easy solutions because there are none. We need to be able to look at this from the perspective of: where do we want to be in 3 or 4 or 5 or 7 generations from now when we talk about the relationship between aboriginal and non-aboriginal people in this country? And if we can agree on what that relationship needs to look like in the future, then what we need to think about is: what can we do today that will contribute to that objective? Reconciliation will be about ensuring that everything that we do today is aimed at that high standard of restoring that balance to that relationship.” 

https://vimeo.com/25389165

What can we do today that will contribute to reconciliation?

We offer the  following suggestions.  Please choose one of these to mark this important day.

1. PRAY
Truth and Reconciliation prayer guide: https://www.cmacan.org/trc-prayer-guide/
-a prayer to match each of the 94 calls to action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission 

2. LEARN
UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples: https://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/documents/DRIPS_en.pdf
- 46 statements or articles that outline the rights of indigenous peoples around the world

3. WATCH
APTN "First Contact" Streaming Show (2 seasons): https://www.aptn.ca/firstcontact/
- shows how Canadians can be misinformed and therefore changed when learning about true indigenous culture

The National Film Board's Indigenous Cinema section: 
https://www.nfb.ca/indigenous-cinema/?&film_lang=en&sort=year:desc,title&year_min=1939&year_max=2021

4. ENGAGE/AMPLIFY
Write to Prime Minister requesting Safe Water for First Nations: https://canadians.org/fn-water
- one way of sending the message that Safe Water is a right for every Canadian (can also be done through your local MP)

To help raise awareness in our own communities you can purchase a shirt. The Orange Shirt Society sells the official 2021 orange shirt and some of the proceeds go towards raising awareness: https://www.orangeshirtday.org/shirts--gifts.html

5. DONATE
Indian Residential School Survivors Society: https://www.irsss.ca
- donate to this BC organization that provides counselling and ongoing support for residential school survivors