Hudson's Bay's sale of orange shirts to support residential school survivors raises questions

As the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation approaches on Sept. 30, many Canadians are trying to purchase an orange shirt to honour the survivors and families of residential schools as a way to commemorate what was previously known as Orange Shirt Day.

But recent social media posts have led some Indigenous people to ask whether one major retailer is trying to profit off the painful legacy of residential schools.

In an Instagram post earlier this week, the Hudson's Bay Co. — which played a role in the colonization of Canada — said it is selling orange shirts with the slogan "Every Child Matters."

Dani Lanouette, who is Anishinaabe from Neyaashiinigmiing and Algonquins of Barriere Lake, says she blocked posts from the retailer on Twitter for years.

"But I saw a tweet ... of a screenshot of the post, [and] I was like, 'Oh man, I got to unblock them," she said.

"To see a company that has a very colonial history — a history of colonial violence within so-called Canada — to see that they were now selling orange shirts actually made me nauseous. It was so gross to me."

A Hudson's Bay spokesperson told CBC News that the company did not mean to cause any confusion about the sale of the shirts and said they were made available for purchase in collaboration with the Orange Shirt Society, a B.C.-based non-profit that works to create awareness of the effects of residential schools.