Sept. 30 marks Canada’s National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. “One of the main ways that somebody can commemorate it is to wear orange, wear an orange shirt that says Every Child Matters,” said Caldwell First Nation Chief Nikki van Oirschot. “But that’s not really where it should end. We should go one step further and say, what can I learn?” Van Oirschot believes Canadians need to attend a local event at their nearest First Nation or in their community and do some research about indigenous history. “I do think there’s a huge opportunity for Canadians in general to do better and to move beyond the perfunctory orange shirt and to really fundamentally say, ‘What are we doing to learn the truth, and how are we expanding what that truth base is? And then what are we doing to reconcile?’” van Oirschot said. She told CTV News Monday, Caldwell may not have had a residential school during the tragic 1960’s scoop, but that didn’t spare her band members from trauma. “(They) had this fear that they might also be scooped up whether or not they lived on reserve or not because they were a First Nation person,” van Oirschot said. Caldwell didn’t have a residential school because for hundreds of years it was considered a “landless band”, according to van Oirschot. “We settled in 2010, but in 2020, we got our reserve designated,” van Oirschot said. “It took 230 years, basically, to get that recognition back. Today, Caldwell First Nation has a thriving gas station and an expanding residential community. “(National Day for Truth and Reconciliation) is difficult because we’re reminded every year of the travesties, but at the same time, we’re also reminded of a resilience. We’re reminded that although that is part of our history, that is not who we are today,” van Oirschot said. She is encouraging people to participate in their walk on Wednesday, Sept. 30, starting at 9:30 a.m. from the Community Hall at 14 Orange St., Leamington. If not, Canadians are encouraged to spend time on the 30th thinking about the past and focusing on the future. “It can’t be, we’ve celebrated the 30th and now let’s move on. We have to do better every day,” van Oirschot said.
