The London and District Labour Council (LDLC) is recognizing the importance of National Day for Truth and Reconciliation Day for labour and the broader community. LDLC officials say they understand the truth of the history and they re-commit to reconciliation to ensure that the tragic history and ongoing legacy of residential schools is never forgotten. “Authentic reconciliation requires continuous reflection, action, and consideration throughout the year. However, on the National Day for Truth Reconciliation, it is important that we make time to commemorate the lost children and the survivors of residential schools, their families, and communities,” states a news release from the LDLC. The Residential School Survivors’ Flag is raised on Sept. 30 as an expression of remembrance to honour survivors and all lives affected, includes elements selected by First Nations across this country including Métis peoples. “It is crucial to reflect on what all of us can do to identify and to eliminate structural and overt racism, as well as other forms of discrimination in our workplaces and communities,” said Patti Dalton, LDLC President. “This Day is a time to acknowledge the truth of our collective history, and the inequities faced by Indigenous peoples across the country. We must, as a collective labour movement, resolve to work for a better, more equitable future, and to pursue implementation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 Calls to Action and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), and also to seek justice for missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.” The labour council encourages the community to take part in some of the significant events taking place on Sept. 30.
