On September 30th, Canadians across the country pause to reflect on one of the darkest chapters in our history: the residential school system. The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, also known as Orange Shirt Day, honours the survivors of residential schools, remembers the children who never came home, and calls on each of us to take meaningful steps toward reconciliation.
The phrase Every Child Matters is more than a slogan. It is a reminder of the children who were taken from their families, stripped of their language and culture, and subjected to immense harm in institutions meant to erase their identities. It is also a call to action—for us as individuals, as communities, and as a country—to ensure that such injustices are never repeated.
Why Orange?
The story begins with Phyllis (Jack) Webstad, a Northern Secwepemc (Shuswap) woman who, at the age of six, attended a residential school for the first time. She arrived wearing a bright orange shirt her grandmother had bought for her. That shirt was taken away on her first day—and she never saw it again.
For Phyllis, the colour orange has since come to symbolize how children’s feelings, rights, and their very identities were disregarded. Today, wearing orange on September 30th is a powerful act:
- It honours the children who never returned home.
- It shows respect for survivors and their families.
- It demonstrates a commitment to awareness, allyship, and reconciliation.
A simple orange shirt carries a profound message: Every Child Matters.
The Legacy of Residential Schools
From the late 1800s until the final school closed in 1996, more than 150,000 Indigenous children were taken from their families and placed in residential schools across Canada. Many suffered neglect, abuse, and the loss of their languages, traditions, and family connections. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) documented these harms and issued 94 Calls to Action in 2015, urging governments, institutions, and all Canadians to confront this history and build a path toward reconciliation.
The legacy is not in the distant past. Survivors live with the impacts every day, and intergenerational trauma continues to affect families and communities. Understanding this context is essential to meaningful reconciliation.
All material copyright MediResource Inc. 1996 – 2025. Terms and conditions of use. The contents herein are for informational purposes only. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Source: www.medbroadcast.com/healthfeature/gethealthfeature/Every-Child-Matters-Truth-Reconciliation-on-September-30