2024 National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
Thank you for taking part in the 2024 National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. We encourage you to continue to explore ways to put reconciliation into action.
Wearing an orange shirt symbolizes the harm done to residential school students and their families and shows a commitment to the principle that every child matters. By acknowledging and understanding the truth of the past, we can take steps to move forward towards reconciliation.
AHS has been commemorating Orange Shirt Day on September 30 for many years, to recognize the history and truthful impacts of residential schools in Alberta. The Orange Shirt Day movement started in 2013 after a Residential School Survivor spoke about having the orange shirt her grandmother bought for her taken away on her first day of school when she was 6 years old. Read her story here.
In 2021, Orange Shirt Day became the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. AHS will be commemorating the day with reflective sessions on Wednesday, September 25. We encourage everyone to honour September 30 as a day of personal reflection or to take part in events in your community.
Thank you for taking part in the 2024 National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. We encourage you to continue to explore ways to put reconciliation into action.
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Be willing to listen and learn
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Story by Adam North Peigan
Adam North Peigan, an advisor with the Indigenous Wellness Core, encourages all to attend one of the many events taking place this National Day for Truth and Reconciliation as an opportunity to learn. North Peigan is also the President of the Legacy of Hope Foundation.
As we honour National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, it’s a time to reflect on how far we’ve come and how much more we need to do for there to be true reconciliation.
I am a survivor of the Sixties Scoop where about 20,000-plus First Nation, Métis and Inuit children were taken, often without warning or consent of their families, by child welfare authorities and placed in non-Indigenous foster homes.
Along with my siblings, I was taken as an infant and remained in care until I aged out of the system. During that time, I was exposed to many different faiths and cultures but never educated on my own heritage.
In fact, I grew up feeling a lot of shame about who I was.
My initial return to my home nation, Piikani Nation, was a major shock and led me down a path of heavy drinking for many years. Eventually, my two eldest daughters were taken by Child Protective Services when we were living in British Columbia and placed in a non-Indigenous foster home.
That incident was the catalyst for me to break the cycle of intergenerational trauma and keep my children from going through the same things I had experienced.
Going back to our ceremony and connecting with Elders has helped me immensely on my healing journey. I’ve even become a powwow dancer with regalia I crafted myself with the help of my wife who did the beadwork. I am now incredibly proud of who I am as a First Nation man.
As part of my role at Alberta Health Services, I now get to help foster meaningful relationships with healthcare workers and Indigenous peoples seeking healthcare.
We need to create an environment where Indigenous patients feel safe, comfortable, cared for and, more importantly, won’t be exposed to racism.
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is a day were our non-native brothers and sisters have the opportunity to educate themselves on the history of Canada, the contributions of the Indigenous peoples and acknowledge residential school survivors as well as those who went to residential school and did not come home.
Attend one of the many events taking place as an opportunity to learn. That's the biggest thing that we can do — be willing to listen and learn.
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Showing support
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September 30 is the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation. On this day, we honour the children who never returned home, Survivors of residential schools, their families and communities. Taking time to remember is an important part of moving towards reconciliation.
Across this land, people will be taking time to honour this day in a variety of ways, both public and personal.
We invite you to share how you will be showing your support for Residential School Survivors on the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation. -
Arthur Child weaves Indigenous traditions into cancer care
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Healing plants take root with help of Indigenous communitiesSeptember 20, 2024
Members of Indigenous communities take time to plant sage, tobacco and sweetgrass at the new Arthur J.E. Child Comprehensive Cancer Centre in Calgary. Photo by Leah Hennel.
Story by Jennifer Green | Photo by Leah Hennel
CALGARY — The new Arthur J.E. Child Comprehensive Cancer Centre (Arthur Child) is a beacon of hope for many, offering state-of-the-art medical care in a supportive environment. However, for Indigenous patients, the centre offers something more — a connection to their cultural heritage.
“My brother passed away from cancer and he was in the Tom Baker, and while he was in there, they took very good care of him. When we wanted to do ceremony, they accommodated us,” says Frances Crowchild Jensen of the Tsuut'ina Nation recalls. “And so coming here (to the Arthur Child) and seeing everything that they have for First Nations people— it touches me.
"Ceremony is very important. We are raised from when we were small to pray. For Indigenous peoples, traditional practices like smudging and offering tobacco hold deep spiritual significance. These rituals provide comfort, strength and a sense of connection to the natural world.”
George W. Pambrun, a Metis cancer survivor, echoes the importance of cultural inclusion: “The indigenous people have always been connected to mother earth … plants, animals, respect.”
The presence of Indigenous plants such as sweetgrass, tobacco, and sage at the cancer centre serves as a tangible reminder of this connection. Larry Waterchief, director of Elder Services for the Siksika Nation, praises the healing properties of these plants: “Some of those plants are used for healing. That’s what our people use. People still go out and harvest the plants to make traditional medicine to help in the treatment of cancer.”
Pambrun, a Metis elder, expressed gratitude for the centre's efforts to create a culturally-inclusive environment. “It means so much to me that the hospital recognizes the importance of our traditions. It feels like I'm not just a patient, but a person who is valued and respected.”
By incorporating Indigenous traditions and practices into the cancer centre, the facility is not only providing physical care, but also offering a spiritual and emotional sanctuary.
As Frances Crowchild Jensen adds: “Seeing the plants and the medicines outside — it’s like showing us respect — and maybe somewhere there’s a belief that our way works also.
“We can work together with our medicine and the western medicine, because Creator put us all here to live together. If we can utilize each other in a good way, why not?”
The Arthur Child is set to open for patients at the end of October. The Indigenous communities have access to an Indigenous room specifically designed for smudging or prayer, the outdoor gardens and a sacred space.
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Residential Schools Map
Share Residential Schools Map on Facebook Share Residential Schools Map on Twitter Share Residential Schools Map on Linkedin Email Residential Schools Map link130 residential Schools operated in Canada between 1831 and 1996. More than 150,000 children attended, and many of them never returned home. Learn more on the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation's Interactive Map.
Most of the residential schools were in the 4 Western provinces, with 25 schools located in Alberta.
If you need support, a National Residential School Crisis Line has been set up to provide support to former students. This 24-Hour Crisis Line can be accessed at: 1-866-925-4419.
Source: National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation
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Dreyson Roasting and his family gave thanks to staff at the Stollery Children’s Hospital and the Awasisak Indigenous Health Program for saving his leg from amputation and for incorporating traditional healing practices into his care journey. Dreyson and his family wanted to show their appreciation for the care he received which enabled him to return to powwow dancing. Dreyson honoured guests this week at an AHS National Day for Truth and Reconciliation event with a thank you dance.
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The Indigenous Wellness Core walks us through the historical truth of the impacts of Residential Schools in Canada, that we continue to witness today. AHS strives to uphold our commitment to the TRC Recommendations for Health by providing education resources.
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The Indigenous Wellness Core walks us through the historical truth of “Indian Hospitals” in Alberta and Canada. AHS strives to uphold our commitment to the TRC Recommendations for Health by providing education resources.
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This story was gifted to us by Jeraldine, a woman who has discovered strength and healing by celebrating her Indigenous culture.
Having persevered through dark days, she has entered a new season in her life.
