National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

A statement from Dr. Gillian Muir, WCVM Dean:

September 30 is the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation Day, formerly Orange Shirt Day. It is a day to reflect on the tragic legacy of residential schools in Canada. It is also a day to look to the future and be part of the change that needs to happen.  I invite you all to learn and act together as members of the WCVM community, the veterinary profession and as individuals. Our collective work over the coming months and years is to understand this part of Canadian history, appreciate how anti-Indigenous racism operates today, and learn ways to recognize and eliminate our own participation in interpersonal, institutional and systemic racism. 

• Wear your orange shirt during the week of Sept. 27-Oct. 1, as a message to yourself and others that you are committed to taking action. 

• Watch some of the National Film Board’s selection of films by Indigenous filmmakers and allies about the tragic impact of residential schools in Canada. Part of the action we can take, as a veterinary community, is to educate ourselves: https://www.nfb.ca/channels/residential-schools/ 

• Develop your own personalized land acknowledgment (https://teaching.usask.ca/curriculum/indigenous_voices/land-acknowledgements/module.php) 

• Participate in the Truth and Reconciliation Week events starting today:   
  
  • On campus: https://indigenous.usask.ca/indigenization-reconciliation/national-day-truth-reconciliation.php 
  • In Saskatoon: https://www.saskatoon.ca/sites/default/files/documents/ndtr_2021_events_calendar.pdf 
  • Nationally: https://nctr.ca/education/trw/general-public-schedule/ 

Please note: the WCVM Veterinary Medical Centre’s regular clinical services will be closed on Thursday, Sept. 30, 2021. However, the hospital’s 24/7 emergency services will still be available for small and large animals.