Council Proclaims September 30 as National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

Council has proclaimed September 30 as the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in the Municipality of Mississippi Mills.

The proclamation was made during the September 10, 2024 Council meeting.

In addition to declaring September 30 as National Indigenous History Month, Council also proclaimed June 21, 2024 as National Indigenous Peoples Day.

In addition, the Every Child Matters flag is flying at the Mississippi Mills Municipal Office for the month of September, as Council has endorsed since 2021.

The full proclamation is as follows:

WHEREAS, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) released its final report on June 2, 2015, which included 94 Calls to Action to redress the legacy of residential schools and advance the process of Canadian reconciliation;  

AND WHEREAS, the recent discoveries of remains and unmarked graves across Canada have led to increased calls for all levels of government to address the recommendations in the TRC’s Calls to Action;  

AND WHEREAS, all Canadians and all orders of government have a role to play in reconciliation;  

AND WHEREAS, Recommendation #80 of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission called upon the federal government, in collaboration with Aboriginal peoples, to establish, as a statutory holiday, a National Day for 
Truth and Reconciliation to ensure that public commemoration of the history and legacy of residential schools remains a vital component of the reconciliation process;

AND WHEREAS, the Federal Government has announced September 30th, 2024, as the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and a statutory holiday;

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT, the Council of the Municipality of Mississippi Mills does hereby commit to recognizing September 30th, 2024, as the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation by sharing the stories of residential school survivors, their families, and communities.