Ways to observe the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Calgary

Every year on Sept. 30, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is observed across Canada. 

Established in 2021 following recommendations in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's 94 calls to action, numerous commemorative events and ceremonies are held to remember the Indigenous children who died while being forced to attend residential schools, those who survived and the families and communities who are still affected by the lasting trauma.

Here are some of the various events in Calgary people can participate in on Monday:

The University of Calgary will host a talk from Michelle Good, a Cree writer and member of the Red Pheasant Cree Nation in Saskatchewan, who is well-known for her award-winning book, Five Little Indians.

Good's life and career involves many different paths — she has been an activist, a lawyer, and now, an author. She spoke with CBC Radio's Calgary Eyeopener, and told the story of how she decided to become a writer. 

"Well, I just got mad. I was representing survivors at the time that I first started writing Five Little Indians, and listening to these phenomenal people, who very often started telling their story by saying, 'I forgive them,'" said Good.

"Listening to the most horrific things that you can possibly imagine, and then reading the newspaper or watching the news and hearing non-Indigenous people saying, 'Why can't they just get over it?' As though this is something that happened 1,000 years ago."

"And just in that statement, 'Why can't they just get over it?' is this extreme articulation of ignorance in terms of the impacts of trauma and how long-lasting they are and intergenerational as well. So I just decided, well, I can answer that question, so I'm going to. And that's what I did when I wrote Five Little Indians."

The event, called "Getting Under the Myth of Canadian History," will be hosted at the Eckhardt-Gramatté Hall in Rozsa Centre on campus starting at 12:30 p.m. on Monday. 

Coordinated by the CIF Reconciliation Society, the sixth annual Pokaiks – The Children's Commemorative Walk and Gathering will take place on Monday.

The walk will be starting at Eau Claire Park, at the south side of the Peace Bridge, and ending at Contemporary Calgary. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

This year, Calgary's Arts Commons will be hosting a variety of events related to "Indigenous ways of knowing and being" on Monday.

Visitors can sign up for a gallery tour and artist talk around the "Building Bridges and ReconciliACTION" exhibit, explore the Indigenous Makers Market and learn about the history of residential schools and the resilience of Indigenous peoples through the second annual Elders Story Project, which is held at the Jack Singer Concert Hall.

For over three decades, Moonstone has become a hub for traditional Indigenous arts in Calgary's Inglewood community. Yvonne Jobin is the shop's owner, as well as a beader and traditional artist.