Women Transforming Cities: September 30th is Orange Shirt Day, or the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. It’s a day to honour the children who never returned home, residential school survivors, their families, and communities. One of the ways we can honour survivors is to push for the completion of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (TRC) 94 Calls to Action.

As Gitxsan child welfare advocate Dr. Cindy Blackstock says, “the Calls to Action are the survivors’ work plan for the nation.”

Several Calls to Action are addressed specifically to local governments. With 78% of Indigenous people in BC living in urban centres and off-reserve, cities and towns have a big role to play in reconciliation. So how can we push for the adoption of the Calls to Action within our local communities? 

In our recent member learning series, we shared findings from our report on the TRC Calls to Action in local government and discussed strategies residents can use to accelerate progress on the Calls to Action in their community ahead of Orange Shirt Day.

Here are 4 ways you can advocate for more progress on the TRC Calls to Action:

1. Contact city councillors ahead of September 30th
   With September 30th coming up, many elected officials are more immediately aware of the TRC Calls to Action. This provides an opportunity to ask them for meaningful action. If you see your elected representatives out in the community, or posting about Orange Shirt Day on social media this month, here’s some questions you could ask to show that you want to see meaningful progress on the Calls to Action:
   • What steps will you take to progress the TRC Calls to Action in the coming year?Which Call to Action are you aiming to have underway by this time next year?How can I support you as a community member to take more action?I’d like to stay updated about this work. When can I follow up with you to see how it is progressing?
   
   To support you in engaging with your elected officials, we’ve created a handy letter template you can use to email your mayor and council about their next steps on the TRC calls to actions.
2. Follow the money
   In our research, local government leaders identified lack of resources and capacity as the biggest barrier to progressing the Calls to Action. While the provincial government has a significant role to play in boosting the capacity of cities and towns to participate meaningfully in reconciliation, local governments themselves can show that this is a priority by setting aside funding in their annual budgets.
   The timing of Orange Shirt Day provides a window to push for financial reconciliation: All BC municipalities are currently preparing their draft annual budgets for the coming year. They might have a public survey you can participate in and indicate that reconciliation is a top priority. In late November or early December, councils will likely hold a public meeting where you can provide input on the coming year’s budget.
   Now is a great time to reach out to your city council and ask how much funding will be set aside for reconciliation, what dedicated staff they have to work on this, or if they plan to hire someone to lead it. That’s why we’ve specifically mentioned annual budgets in our letter template.
3. Vote with reconciliation in mind
   The BC provincial election is coming up and there is a lot at stake. The provincial government has a lot of say in how local governments participate in reconciliation.
   If someone running for office is canvassing for your vote, ask what their party has done and will do to advance Indigenous rights. Consider volunteering for a candidate championing Indigenous rights. Take a look at parties’ and candidates’ social media to see if they’ve advocated for progress on the TRC Calls to Action, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) Calls for Justice recently. And make sure you vote on October 19th or the days leading up to it.
   Following the BC provincial election, there will likely be a smattering of local government by-elections, and you can show up for candidates who are also committed to reconciliation. Not to mention, the federal election in 2025 and the BC municipal elections in 2026 are also on the horizon.
4. Share examples of good work 
   We frequently heard in our research that local leaders want to see success stories what the TRC Calls to Action look like in similar communities. Sharing examples from other communities can help build momentum and show that there are many ways local governments can take part in this work.
   Our report lists many examples of TRC implementation from across BC. We also highlighted some examples in our learning series, such as:
   • The City of Williams Lake establishing reconciliation as a core pillar of their strategic plan, hiring an Indigenous Relations Coordinator, including Indigenous names in their street naming policy, raising the “every child matters” flag, and tracking their progress on the Calls to Action and UNDRIP.
   • The town of Ingersoll, Ontario committing to publish annual reports about their progress on the TRC Calls to Action and installing a cross walk to raise awareness of MMIWG, residential schools and the lack of access to clean drinking water.
   • The City of Port Moody holding annual Blanket Exercises for the public, working with local artists on art recognizing their Host Nations, and hiring an Indigenous relations Manager to embed reconciliation as a lens on the city’s work.
   • The City of Kamloops council taking Secwepemctsin language courses, providing funding to their Host Nation for a North American Indigenous Games bid, searching their archives for records related to residential schools, and transferring $1.2 million to Tk’emlups te Secwepemc in a move to decolonize recreation funding.

As you come across other examples of progress on the Calls to Action in the future, sharing them with your mayor and council provides a great reason to follow up and keep this issue on their radar.

We all have a role to play in reconciliation and decolonization. Through our research, we learned that it’s important for local leaders to consistently hear from their constituents that the TRC Calls to Action are a priority. In the coming weeks, we hope these strategies will help you take action in your community.

Write your mayor and city council ahead of September 30th using this form letter.

Register for the next WTC Learning Series, “Tips on Speaking to Council.” Members get free access to all Learning Series. Become a member here. 

Sign up to receive TRC resources to help advance the Calls of Action in your municipality.

Research your BC election candidates and ensure you have a plan to vote in October.