‘Embark on this journey together’: Winnipeg prepares for Orange Shirt Day

Monday is National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, also known as Orange Shirt Day here in Manitoba and while this year will be the first time it is recognized as a statutory holiday, provincial and Indigenous leaders are encouraging the public to join in, emphasizing that it’s not just a day off.

“I hope you can spend time on Monday with your children, commemorating what previous generations went through,” said Premier of Manitoba, Wab Kinew.

Declared a provincial statutory holiday in December of 2023, Orange Shirt Day aims to recognize the tragic legacy of residential schools in Canada, while also mending a path towards Truth and Reconciliation.

“I hope people don’t treat it as another long weekend,” said Winnipeg resident, Ari Warwick. “Tat they are thinking and reflecting and really educating themselves because that’s what reconciliation is.”

“For me, I always think about my son to be able to learn more of the language, so I can teach him more of the language,” said Dawnis Kennedy, Winnipeg Resident. “Learn more of the culture so I can teach him about the culture.”

“And to reclaim more of our traditions and our way of life as Anishinaabe.”

On Monday, events will be taking place across Winnipeg, including the fourth annual Orange Shirt Day healing walk held by Wa-Say Healing Centre, which is expected to see the largest turnout they have ever seen.

“In the past it wasn’t a holiday and people would say I can’t be there,” said Wayne Mason, Executive Director, Wa-Say Healing Centre. “I’ll be there in spirit, but I wish I could be there, now those individuals are reaching back out and saying I’m glad it’s a holiday and we will be there supporting our orange shirts.”

“My dad when he was a little boy was taken away from his parents and he was put into Saint Mary’s Indian Residential school in Rat Portage Ontario,” said Kinew. “Just outside of Kenora.”

At an event Friday, Kinew touched on his experiences with Residential Schools and spoke about why we call it Orange Shirt Day in Manitoba and not The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

“The law that was passed, it is Orange Shirt Day because that’s the term the survivors chose for themselves,” said Kinew. “And were doing this for them, the grassroots, the people who called on this country to stand up and embark on this journey together.”