More than a day

By Lethbridge Herald on September 30, 2025.

Alexandra Noad
Lethbridge Herald
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

At the end of today, many will fold their orange shirt and tuck it away and go on with their daily lives, but Indigenous people continue to face challenges due to systemic racism.

Many Indigaenous people struggle with Sept. 30, believing the pressure is on the wrong people to promote Truth and Reconciliation.

Michelle Robinson, a member of the Yellowknife Dene Nation and host of the Native Calgarian Podcast, says people should be putting pressure on their government of all levels to implement the 94 calls to action outlined in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission report of 2015.

“I think there’s a dynamic happening where people aren’t taking personal responsibility and the governments aren’t taking responsibility.”

Robinson adds that it’s the responsibility of governments of all levels, individuals, businesses and sports groups and education systems to implement the 94 Calls to Action and 231 calls for justice.

Many Indigenous people, including Robinson who runs a podcast and monthly book club, promote reconciliation with no compensation. She says she sees a lot of segregation when it comes to Indigenous events, with non-Indigenous people not attending events because they think it’s for Indigenous people.

“It’s ironic to me how little non-Indigenous will go to events that are public and such, they really still segregate in their own minds-oh that’s for natives, and its actually for all Canadians.”

The Blackfoot Resource Hub is one of the many organizations in Lethbridge which provide free education on Blackfoot culture year-round.

Joey Blood, cultural specialist for Blackfoot Resource Hub, says there are many resources including the Blackfoot Resource Hub, Sik-Ooh-Kotoki Friendship Centre and Opokaas’sin all located in Lethbridge, who are willing to provide education year-round to those willing to learn.

“These services are right here in our community and it’s a matter of going in and chatting and if there’s programs, they can get involved with, I don’t see the hassle or the struggle.”

Blood adds that there’s so much to learn and understand that it shouldn’t be a one-time event per year.

“There’s so much to it than recognizing it one time, this is something that has plagued our community for so long with the trauma and hurt our people had to endure throughout the development of Canada.”

Robinson believes by implementing the 291 Calls for Justice would be beneficial to everyone, but especially the queer community and questions if they had been implemented would the queer community be receiving so much hate.

She adds the reason the Calls to Justice have not been implemented is because many of them rely on municipal and provincial governments to implement.

“They have not been implemented because a lot of that is municipal and provincial jurisdiction and governments don’t see their role in this.”

Ten years after the TRC released its 94 calls to action, only 14 have been completed, 22 are stalled and 16 haven’t been started.

Frances Widdowson, former professor of Mount Royal University (MRU) and residential school denier, went to the University of Manitoba to speak on the grounds of University of Manitoba (UofM) where the TRC headquarters are located.

On Thursday, she was met with a few protesters who were heavily outnumbered by Widdowson’s supporters. One of these protesters was Ben Gavel, a former fire keeper at Camp Morgan

He says his community wasn’t planning on attending the speech due to Widdowson capitalizing on them, but elders felt uneasy and decided to stand up against them.

Widdowson’s visit to the University of Winnipeg the next day was a completely different story as word got out via social media. Many protesters turned out, mostly from the Indigenous community but non-Indigenous people also showed up to promote allyship.

“We had numerous Kookums (grandmothers) there, survivors, family of survivors, they went to speak their truth (and) they were mocked and ridiculed,” said Gavel.

He, like many others, believe that reconciliation can’t begin until the truth of what happened is accepted.

“We can’t even begin to talk about the last half of Truth and Reconciliation, we cant beign to discuss reconciliation until we have the truth…we have the truth we’re still fighting for it to be accepted.”

While non-Indigenous people have the privilege to put their orange shirt away, the impacts of residential schools and the colonization of Canada continue to affect Indigenous people daily.

On Oct. 4, the community will have the opportunity to continue their journey on truth and reconciliation by attending a Sisters in Spirit Vigil at City Hall starting at 6:30 p.m.