On a day to honour survivors of the residential school system, children who did not survive, and families who have been effected across generations, I think it’s also a time for reflection on not just the past, but today, and what kind of country we want to live in tomorrow. /1

What we have been reminded of, and what many Indigenous people are intimately aware of, by Joyce Echaquan, is that the systems of the past that were in place to destroy a people, like residential schools, are still operating today in this country we call Canada. /2

The justice system, the health system, the education system, the foster care system, and more, are all dangerous places for Indigenous people. They have been historically, they still are, and they will be until we demand and work together for change. /3

I’ve lost relatives to the residential school system, I’ve lost relatives to the health care system, left for hours alone in an emergency waiting room, I’ve seen racism in education, and I am, by far, not alone. This is a shared experience that will take years to heal from. /4

So I hope we can take time to day to reflect on what we have done, what we are doing, and what we can do, collectively, to overcome systemic racism, and the profound impact it has on Indigenous people, families, and communities. #OrangeShirtDay /5 (end)