We respectfully acknowledge that Red River College campuses are located on the original Lands of the Anishinaabeg, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota, and Dene peoples, and on the homeland of the Métis Nation.

In June 2021 the Federal Government of Canada passed legislation to make September 30^th a federal statuary holiday as the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. This day provides the opportunity to recognize the legacy of the Canadian Residential School Systems. Undoubtedly before this federal legislation, September 30^th has been recognized and observed as Orange Shirt Day or as Every Child Matters throughout Canada to recognize the victims of the Canadian Residential School System, and in support of Truth and Reconciliation. Library and Academic Services staff are honoured and eager to show our continued support for Truth and Reconciliation.

This past year has ignited national attention towards Truth and Reconciliation after the unmarked graves of 215 children were found near a former Residential School in Kamloops, BC. This number soon increased to over 1300 across Canada as more former Residential School sites across Canada were investigated. With these discoveries, it seemed Residential Schools and Truth and Reconciliation became pertinent conversations in our households and global environment. However, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRCC) was formed in June 2008, releasing its final reports and the 94 Calls to Action in 2015, and has been a pertinent conversation for a long time.

The unsettling news from Summer 2021 was a reminder that the past cannot be forgotten and that education about the truth is the way forward.

Library Resources: Helpful Starting Points to Build Your Understanding of Truth and Reconciliation

Our library contains many resources about Truth and Reconciliation, Residential Schools, and Indigenous Experiences throughout its’ collections. These resources are helpful starting points towards building understanding of Truth and Reconciliation in Canada. We invite you to look at some of these resources to acquaint yourself with Truth and Reconciliation.

Guides

Guides like Residential Schools and Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls highlight books, videos, articles, and websites that help build understanding and educate about these issues.

Books

Books that are available from the library include:  

• Final report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. Volume one: summary: honouring the truth, reconciling for the future
• Residential Schools: With the Words and Images of Survivors by Larry Loyie with Wayne K. Spear, Constance Brissenden
• The Sleeping Giant Awakens: Genocide, Indian Residential Schools, and the Challenge of Conciliation by David B. MacDonald
• A knock on the door: the essential history of residential schools from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada
• Picking up the Pieces: Residential School Memories and the Making of the Witness Blanket by Carey Newman; Kristie Hudson
• 21 things you may not know about the Indian Act by Robert P. C. Joseph.
• Pathways of reconciliation: Indigenous and settler approaches to implementing the TRC’s calls to action

Videos

We also have streaming videos available through our collections. Video Databases like Curio have collections like Beyond 94: Truth and Reconciliation in Canada and Residential Schools: A Sad Chapter in Canadian History.

Videos you might consider to learn more about Canadian Truth and Reconciliation include:

• We Were Children available from the Nation Film Board of Canada
• Holy Angels available from the Nation Film Board of Canada
• A Residential Schools reckoning, again available from Curio
• The fallen feather Indian industrial residential schools Canadian Confederation available from the library collection.

Truth and Reconciliation at Red River College

Red River College is hosting its third annual Truth and Reconciliation Week virtually from September 27 to October 1, 2021. The week is dedicated to deepening our understanding of Canada’s history, Indigenous cultures, and sparking a conversation around Truth and Reconciliation.

We also encourage visiting Indigenous Education’s Truth and Reconciliation and Community Engagement to learn more about Indigenous Events and Initiatives at Red River College and its communities.

Written by Sarah Lee, Library Resource Management Technician