(from the files of Josiah Spyker staff)
The provincial government is enshrining the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation into B.C. law to establish the day as a statutory holiday.
Provincial officials said this will ensure that the strength and resilience of residential school survivors are remembered and that the children that never came home are honored.
“Many British Columbians have been marking Orange Shirt Day with humility, respect, and reflection in their own ways for years,” said Premier David Eby in a release.
“Today, we are taking the important step to enshrine this day in law to acknowledge the wrongdoings of the past, and to take meaningful action toward reconciliation.”
Phyllis Webstad, Founder of the Orange Shirt Society stated “With the Federal government passing legislation to make Orange Shirt Day, September 30th, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and now the B.C. provincial government announcing this legislation today, it will help to ensure that what happened to us will never happen again and will never be forgotten.”
B.C. will join the federal government, Prince Edward Island, the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and the Yukon as jurisdictions that have made Sept. 30 a statutory holiday.
Provincial officials said making it a stat holiday will allow more British Columbians to participate in local reconciliation events.
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