We must commit to doing more for indigenous communities on this national day for truth and reconciliation and beyond.
On this National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Independent Jewish Voices stands in unwavering solidarity with Indigenous peoples across Turtle Island.
Today, we honour the survivors of the horrific residential school system, remember the thousands of children who never returned home, and acknowledge the ongoing trauma caused by centuries of colonial violence and erasure.
Between 1831 and 1996, more than 150,000 First Nations, Métis, and Inuit children were forcibly taken from their families and placed in residential schools, where abuse, neglect, and cultural suppression were not only rampant, but an institutionalized policy.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) identified over 4,100 children who died in these institutions, though the actual number may be much higher. The devastating intergenerational impacts of this cultural genocide continue to ripple through Indigenous communities today.
For many Indigenous peoples, the process of reconciliation in Canada has become hollow. It is not enough to put on an orange shirt once a year and consider the work done.
As Dawn Lavell-Harvard, president of the Ontario Native Women’s Association said, “Reconciliation means more than just the restoration of our relationship.”
Reconciliation cannot be reduced to symbolism or ceremonies while colonial structures remain intact.
At the heart of justice is the call for Land Back. From Turtle Island to Palestine, the return of stolen land is not only an Indigenous demand but a global imperative.
Colonialism is a shared experience among many oppressed peoples, and the ongoing dispossession of Indigenous lands on both continents reflects the deep interconnectedness of these struggles. True reconciliation demands the restoration of land, culture, and sovereignty.
Today, we commit ourselves not only to remembering but to acting.
Land Back is not just a slogan; it is the foundation of decolonization and justice.
We call on our community to actively support Indigenous-led efforts to reclaim stolen lands, preserve endangered languages, and dismantle the structures of settler colonialism that continue to marginalize Indigenous peoples.
This struggle extends beyond borders—from Turtle Island to Palestine, we believe in the right of all oppressed peoples to reclaim their lands and rebuild their futures.
Sources
NDN Collective. “Right of Return Is Land Back.” NDN Collective, October 2023.
Reyna, Luna. “Land Back from Turtle Island to Palestine.” Seattle Neighborhoods, November 20, 2023.