Remembering is important but action is needed to confront wrongs of the past

In 12 days, Canadians will once again mark the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

Of all the national days and events on our calendar, this is one of the most sombre. The day is dedicated to acknowledging the painful legacy of residential schools and their lasting impact on Indigenous communities. It honours both victims and survivors, along with their families and communities, by recognizing the injustices and suffering they endured.

It is intended to serve as a moment for Canadians to think about this dark chapter in our country’s history. We are asked to educate ourselves about the systemic harms inflicted on Indigenous peoples, and to commit to the ongoing process of reconciliation.

That last thought hints at the day’s most powerful aspiration, the hope we might be inspired to act. It's a recognition that action leads to outcomes.

Thompson Rivers University is painfully aware of the need for action. We acknowledge the unfortunate role universities, such as TRU, have played in colonial history, largely through denying Indigenous ways of knowing and learning, which enabled the suppression of Indigenous cultures and languages.

Residential schools, which operated in Canada until 1996, caused the harm we remember on Sept. 30. As a contemporary university committed to reconciliation, TRU has a responsibility to address those harms and to be the opposite of a residential school.

TRU, like all universities, should strive to embrace and promote Indigenous ways of knowing and learning, fostering reconciliation and healing. That means supporting Indigenous students to succeed, while fully expressing their identities, honouring Indigenous culture and belief systems and promoting Indigenous culture and languages instead of trying to eliminate them, as the residential schools did.

By doing so, universities can help repair past damage and build more inclusive and respectful environments for Indigenous communities.

TRU is taking steps to address historical injustices. This week, we will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for a $22-million Indigenous Education Centre. The building, when complete, will be a place where Indigenous knowledge, languages and cultures are practiced, preserved and passed on to future generations. It will serve as a hub for Indigenous students, scholars and community members, a place where cultural identity and academic achievement meet.

It will allow TRU to strengthen partnerships with local Indigenous communities. By fostering knowledge and academic excellence rooted in Indigenous wisdom and priorities, it will help ensure that Indigenous voices are heard and valued in every aspect of academic life.

Building structures is not the only action we are taking. Last week, TRU signed a partnership agreement with the Williams Lake First Nation (WLFN). While the relationship between TRU and the WLFN—which hosts our Williams Lake campus—has been meaningful and productive even without an agreement, the partnership formalizes our collaboration in the spirit of respect and friendship.

The agreement includes a commitment to collaborate in the development and implementation of mutually beneficial and innovative programs for the St?éxelcemc people, including the development of trades, training and academic programs, while incorporating St?éxelcemc ways of knowing, values and philosophy into curricula and programs.

Through the agreement, TRU reaffirms its commitment to offering programs that reflect Secwépemc ways of knowing and to provide pathways to increase enrolment, retention and graduation rates for Indigenous students.

The partnership will lead to new opportunities for academic programming, language revitalization and enhanced student services, potentially including Indigenous mental-health support, financial awards and the expansion of trades and technical training.

The partnership agreement aligns with one of TRU’s guiding values, the Secwépemc value of Kw’seltktnéws, which is understanding we are all interconnected. The agreement is a tangible expression of that value and ensures TRU is a place of belonging for the Secwépemc people and all Indigenous communities.

These two most recent examples are only some of the actions TRU is taking. I know it is not enough. There is more to do to facilitate true reconciliation as envisioned by the 2015 Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 calls to action, and there always will be.

Remembering the ills, errors and wrongs of the past is an important step all Canadians must take. Action is what is needed to ultimately repair the damage and change our relationship with Canada’s Indigenous peoples.

I urge everyone to take some time on Sept. 30 to think about our troubled history and envision ways we can make a difference for the future.

Brett Fairbairn is the president and vice-chancellor of Thompson Rivers University. He can be reached at [email protected].