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Truth and Reconciliation Day: From Reflection to Restructuring theWorkplace
- Crystal Sinclair
- Sep 26
- 3 min read
Every year on September 30th, we mark the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
It’s a day to honour the children who never returned home from residential schools, their
families, and the survivors whose lives were forever altered. It’s a day for wearing
orange, for reflection, and for solemn remembrance.
But true reconciliation cannot be confined to a single day. As organizations increasingly
prioritize Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), there's a critical risk of bundling this
profound journey into existing initiatives. True reconciliation is not DEI work. It is a
unique, necessary, and ongoing process that demands its own space, commitment, and
resources.
This September 30th, let’s commit to moving beyond reflection and toward the
fundamental restructuring required for genuine reconciliation.
Why Reconciliation Stands Apart from DEI
While DEI aims to create fairer access and inclusion within existing systems,
reconciliation calls for something deeper: the transformation of those very systems.
Understanding this distinction is the first step toward meaningful action.
A Matter of Responsibility: Reconciliation requires active accountability for
historical and ongoing injustices. It is not a passive endeavor but a challenging journey
that must confront uncomfortable truths.
Systemic, Not Superficial Change: DEI often focuses on helping people fit into
existing structures. Reconciliation, however, involves dismantling and rebuilding the
colonial policies and privileged worldviews that perpetuate harm.
A Personal Journey: For settler Canadians, reconciliation begins with a personal
commitment to examine biases, acknowledge complicity, and engage in healing. This
work is inherently uncomfortable but essential.
The Goal is Transformation: The ultimate aim is generational change built through
genuine partnership, dialogue, and centering Indigenous worldviews in all spaces.
Moving Beyond Token Gestures: What Reconciliation is NOT
On Truth and Reconciliation Day, it’s crucial to recognize that well-intentioned efforts
can often fall short, becoming tokenistic gestures. Reconciliation is not:
* Only wearing an orange shirt on September 30th.
* Only a land acknowledgment without deeper, actionable commitments.
* Hiring one Indigenous relations coordinator and considering the job done.
* Inviting an Indigenous person onto a board without decolonizing the board's
practices.
* Retroactively "Indigenizing" a project after it's already underway.
These actions, while sometimes a starting point, risk signalling that reconciliation is an
add-on rather than a core value.
A Framework for Action: Key Steps for Workplaces
The journey from acknowledgment to action is paved with deliberate, sustained effort.
This Truth and Reconciliation Day, commit to these key actions to advance
reconciliation in your organization:
Separate Your Budgets: Dedicate a specific, meaningful budget for reconciliation
initiatives, separate from DEI. Recognize it as a "whole-of-organization" issue.
Audit Your Practices: Complete a Reconciliation or DRIPA (Declaration on the
Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act) audit led by an independent Indigenous consultancy
to identify blind spots.
Embed in Governance: Create dedicated seats on your board or leadership table
for neighbouring First Nations and Indigenous representatives. Connect reconciliation
directly to strategic planning.
Build Authentic Partnerships: Develop a partnership strategy with Indigenous
organizations based on respect, trauma-informed engagement, and equitable
procurement.
Commit to Cultural Safety: Implement ongoing cultural safety training and aim for
meaningful representation of Indigenous peoples in leadership roles.
Your Journey Starts with a Question
The Honourable Murray Sinclair posed four profound questions that can guide our
collective reflection, not just on September 30th, but every day:
* Where did I come from?
* Where am I going?
* Why am I here?
* Who am I?
Engaging with these questions as individuals and as organizations is the first step
toward building authentic relationships and a reconciled future.
Overcoming Challenges: A Shift in Mindset
The path to reconciliation is not easy. The greatest challenge is overcome by replacing
a mindset of "helping" with one of partnership and shared responsibility. This means centering Indigenous voices and worldviews not as an add-on, but as essential to
restructuring systems. Authentic progress is measured by the depth of relationships
built and the power shared.
Continue Your Learning Journey with Us
Reconciliation is a lifelong commitment. Let this Truth and Reconciliation Day be the
catalyst for lasting change.
* Access Free Resources: Dive deeper into this work with Chief Leanne Joe's
foundational framework, [Step into the River: A Framework for Economic Reconciliation]
Sign the Transforming the Workplace Pledge - We invite employers to become a
Transforming Workplace Opportunities Advocate. The Transforming Workplace
Opportunities Initiative is part of WIL’s broader mission to advance women’s
leadership and break barriers for BIPOC communities and is funded by Women
and Gender Equality Canada. By signing the pledge, your organization commits
to fostering an inclusive workplace, where all employees are valued and
respected and have equal opportunities for recruitment, growth, and success. Be
part of the change and sign the pledge today.
Let’s honour the spirit of September 30th by embarking on this necessary journey
together, every day of the year.
