Maintain action and momentum towards reconciliation

30 September, 2022

September 30, 2022 – Ottawa, Ontario – Canadian Human Rights Commission

To mark the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Marie-Claude Landry, Chief Commissioner of the Canadian Human Rights Commission, issues the following statement:

Today, as we mark this second annual National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, we call on non-Indigenous people in Canada to learn the truth about the atrocities of our past, to understand how those atrocities still live on today, and to assume collective responsibility in passing that knowledge on and helping turn it into meaningful action.

Today is about remembering that we must not lose momentum as we continue to walk forward together towards a future that values and celebrates Indigenous human rights, self-determination, languages, laws, cultures and traditions.

I urge all non-Indigenous people in Canada to take an active role in sharing the responsibility of reconciliation. We must ensure that every person in Canada, including our children, understands the meaning of reconciliation and that the harms and injustices of the past continue to affect the lives of Indigenous peoples. And we must call on all governments to prioritize reconciliation in Canada.

The Commission calls on Canadian governments to recommit to reconciliation, maintaining the momentum and prioritizing several key responsibilities:

To implement the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action on missing children and burial information, and fully support the mandate of the Special Interlocutor.
To protect Indigenous languages and identities.
To improve life and services in Indigenous communities, especially for the lives of children.
To develop a comprehensive and holistic criminal justice strategy to address over-policing and over-incarceration of Indigenous people in prisons.
To end violence against Indigenous women and girls. The timely and meaningful implementation of the National Action Plan must be a national priority. This process must fully reflect the priorities and realities of Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people.
To address Indigenous youth suicide
To deliver clean water to all Indigenous communities.

This is a time for collective action and collective responsibility.

This is a time to listen, to learn, and to act.

This is a time to continue our efforts and take the necessary actions, together.

– 30 –

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