What is “Every Child Matters” about?

Every Child Matters is a fairly recent movement here in Canada, and you’ll definitely hear a lot about it around this time of year.

But what is it really about?

It all goes back to the residential schools (from the late 1800s to 1996) that the Canadian government imposed. Christian churches (Catholic, Anglican, United, Presbyterian, etc.) ran these schools (yes, and as Catholic I feel deeply ashamed of that part😔), and their goal was to force Indigenous children to adopt Euro-Canadian culture.

The government and churches took children from their homes against their will, cut them off from their language and traditions, and forced them into these institutions. Many children suffered physical, emotional, and sexual abuse. The trauma left lifelong scars, and sadly, many children died from illness and mistreatment.

So how did the movement begin?

• In 1996, the last residential school finally closed.
• In 2008, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission was created to hear survivors’ stories, what many call a genocide, and to document calls to action so the government could begin reconciliation.
• In 2013, Phyllis Webstad, a survivor, publicly shared her story. At just six years old, her grandmother gave her an orange shirt for her first day of school. When she arrived, they took it away and forced her into a uniform.
• That story sparked the Every Child Matters movement, with the orange shirt becoming the symbol of solidarity with survivors and their families.
• In 2021, September 30 officially became the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, a federal statutory holiday in Canada.  Since 2021, thousands of unmarked graves have been discovered at or near former residential schools sites.

So how do we commemorate this day in Canada?

• 🧡We wear orange shirts, especially in schools and workplaces. Even schools with uniforms allow students to wear orange on this day. 
• 🧡Indigenous communities host ceremonies, and in many cities, people join public events like walks and vigils.

I can’t help but feel my heart tighten every time I think of the thousands of children and families who suffered, those who didn’t survive and those still haunted by the trauma inevitably caused by this inhumane government policy that treated Indigenous peoples as an obstacle to its ‘development’ plans.

Today, I pray for those innocent souls💗.

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