Orange Shirt Day with the Southern Chiefs’ Organization in Winnipeg

On National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, I joined the Southern Chiefs’ Organization for their 6th Annual Orange Shirt Day Healing Walk and Pow Wow in Winnipeg — walking alongside Survivors, family members, community leaders, and hundreds of Manitobans who came together to remember and to recommit.

Every Child Matters is a declaration — one that demands more than a moment of reflection. It demands action on the 94 Calls to Action, justice for the families of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQI+ people, and sustained federal investment in the healing and self-determination of First Nations communities across this country.

I left Winnipeg that day more committed than ever to carrying that responsibility into every federal conversation I have.

I also want to share something personal. I was extremely glad to have attended this event with my Dad — a residential school Survivor. Walking alongside him that morning meant more to me than any words can adequately capture.

I am grateful to Grand Chief Jerry Daniels and the Southern Chiefs’ Organization for the invitation to walk alongside this community. September 30th is not a day I take lightly — and the work it calls us toward does not stop when the orange shirts come off.