Intro for September 30, 2026

Dear Gossips,

Today is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day in Canada. The day is federally observed in Canada, established on June 3, 2021, to honour Residential School Survivors, the families and communities. It is a day of education and conversation, acknowledging the impact of the residential school system and its profoundly devastating consequences for Indigenous Peoples, and the lasting harm that continues today.

It is important to call out that harm, in the present. As present as a few days ago when members of a suspected white nationalist group showed up with denialism propaganda at Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc reserve near Kamloops, British Columbia. They were wearing masks, as cowards do, and their presence, as Kúkwpi7 (Chief) Rosanne Casimir wrote in a statement, was meant to “instill fear in generations of Survivors and Intergenerational Survivors who have already carried fear for far too long”.

One of the most effective ways to meet and challenge ignorance is to keep learning and to stay informed. The National Film Board’s Indigenous Channel has a broad catalogue of documentaries, many if not most are free to stream. Some of the titles I’ve seen and highly recommend are Ossie Michelin’s Feather Fall; Jules Arita Koostachin’s WaaPaKe (Tomorrow); and of course Tracey Deer’s Mohawk Girls, a classic.

Also read or listen to Tanya Talaga’s book, The Knowing. She is one of the most respected journalists in the country and The Knowing is beautifully written, rigorously researched, and hauntingly personal as she retells the history of this nation through her own family history.

Today on Parliament Hill, there will be a live broadcast collaboration between APTN, the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, CBC/Radio-Canada and the Algonquin Nation starting at 12noon ET. You can watch Remembering the Children: National Day for Truth and Reconciliation here.

All last week the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation hosted a virtual series of Lunch and Learns and those conversations are available to stream here.

And if you would like to help Indspire’s goal of seeing “every Indigenous student graduate within a generation”, please learn more about their programs here and, if you are able to, make a donation here to invest in Indigenous education.

Every child matters.

Lainey