Calgarians march downtown for Orange Shirt Day walk

CALGARY (CityNews) ─ Calgarians marched to honour those who survived residential schools on Saturday, and remember those who are no longer here to share their stories.

It was all part of the third annual Orange Shirt Day walk led by Colouring It Forward Reconciliation Society.

At the heart of the gathering were Indigenous songs and performances.

This year’s walk was even more significant for many reasons. Throughout the summer, Canada faced its disturbing history with the discovery of thousands of unmarked graves, many of them in Alberta.

This is also the first year that Canada will observe the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, one of the calls to action by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada to honour survivors, victims, their families and communities.

“This is a day for Indigenous people,” said event organizer Tapisa Kilabuk. “Like we have National Indigenous Peoples Day and that’s to celebrate us, and this day is to celebrate Indigenous people as well. But it’s to honour the people that sacrificed their lives for us.”

Happening now: A sea of orange marches down Stephen Avenue to honour the victims and survivors of the residential school system. Full story tonight at 6 and 11 on @citynewscalgary pic.twitter.com/1OPrK5iwct

— Kristy (@_kristykilburn) September 25, 2021

When the federal government passed legislation, it left it up to provinces and territories to decide whether they would recognize the holiday. Alberta did not, and the government received backlash as it’s the province that had the most residential schools in Canada.

Alberta decided to leave the implementation of the holiday to employers in provincially regulated industries.

Kilabuk is encouraging those who do have Sept. 30 off to use it to learn about residential schools and the long-lasting impacts they’ve had on Indigenous peoples.

“It’s really important for people to show their solidarity that they care for Indigenous peoples because for a long time, you know, non-Indigenous peoples didn’t,” said Kilabuk.

Although Alberta has refused to do it, the City of Calgary has recognized Sept. 30 as the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.