Greater Victoria students reflect on Canada's National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

Friday is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, which is marked by Orange Shirt Day.

On Thursday morning in Langford, B.C., ceremonial First Nation dancers greeted students from Ruth King Elementary and Spencer Middle School. Those students were dressed in a sea of orange.

"We wear orange shirts because of a young girl that was six, who wore an orange shirt to school and it was taken away from her," said Vicki Ives, principle of Ruth King Elementary.

That little girl was residential school survivor Phylis Jack Webstad. Her experience on the first day of residential school has now become the symbol of truth and reconciliation in Canada.

This was Grade Five student Noah Bertland reading a poem he wrote in front of the students:

"Residential school, really mean, eating very little," he read.

"Our schools today, super kind, cool."

Bertland's poem was contrasting today's education system with that of Canada's residential school system.

He says in class he has learned extensively about residential schools and the atrocities that resulted from them. It’s a lesson that isn’t lost on him or his fellow students.

"So that they know not to start them again," said Bertland.

Students from Spencer Middle School talked about what National Truth and Reconciliation Day means to them.

"It means thinking back on what happened," said Brooklynn Barker-Hobbs, a Grade Eight student at Spencer Middle School.

"It really wasn’t fair what happened to all the kids that lost their lives to the residential schools," she added.

Students are pictured at Pioneer Park in Brentwood Bay, B.C., to mark National Truth and Reconciliation Day. Sept. 29, 2022 (CTV News)

In Brentwood Bay it was a tidal wave of orange. Hundreds of Central Saanich students converged on Pioneer Park to hear a moving speech from Talia Child, a Grade 12 student at Stelly’s Secondary School in the Indigenous leadership class.

This was Child at the podium as she spoke to the large crowd:

"I’m sharing my story today because truth-telling is part of the work today, truth-telling is essential to reconciliation," she said.

Talia Child, a Grade 12 student at Stelly’s Secondary School in Central Saanich, B.C., speaks to hundreds of students in Pioneer Park. (CTV News)

She also spoke about her family's experience at residential schools.

"Their names are Mildred Hunt and Ivy Louie," said the Grade 12 student.

She went on to talk about the recently-discovered unmarked graves of innocent Indigenous children, and the highway of tears.

"Today I wear my original regalia because in 1921, my relatives were arrested for potlatching," said Child.

It was a powerful message full of personal family stories – stories that will hopefully set the tone with the next generation.

"Because we still have a long way to go," said Child.