OCSA Statement - National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
Today, we join Canadians across the country in marking the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Our thoughts are with residential school survivors, their families and communities, and all who mourn the terrible suffering and loss caused by these institutions. September 30th was chosen to align with Orange Shirt Day, an Indigenous-led grassroots commemorative day honouring the children who survived Indian Residential Schools and those who did not. This day is a direct response to Call to Action 80, from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 Calls to Action, which called for a federal statutory day of commemoration.
This past year has shown Canada has a long history of racial injustice we have yet to fully comprehend or acknowledge as a society. The legacy of Canada’s historic policy of injustice towards Indigenous peoples has resulted in generations of broken families and devastated communities. The consequences of the forcible removable of children from their homes and their communities to residential schools are still reverberating through our society today.
At the Ontario Community Support Association, we acknowledge the inequality that has persisted in our society for generations and the devastating legacy of trauma created by racist institutions and systemic racism in our society. We express our support for all residential school survivors, their families and communities, and all those who have been, and continue to be, affected by this tragic history.
As an association that strives to keep our most vulnerable citizens safe at home and in their communities, we support messages of healing and pledge to work toward an inclusive society in which all individuals are accepted and valued.
We call on further efforts to fully implement the 94 calls to action made by the National Truth and Reconciliation Commission. It is only by acknowledging these impacts and their root causes that we can start addressing them. At OCSA, we commit to listening and learning from those who experience systemic racism every day to ensure our actions work towards eliminating it from society and the delivery of our health and social services.
About OCSA Ontario Community Support Association (OCSA) represents close to 230 not-for profit organizations that provide home care and community support services that help seniors and people with disabilities live independently in their own homes and communities for as long as possible. These compassionate and cost-effective services improve quality of life and prevent unnecessary hospitalizations, emergency room visits and premature institutionalization. They are the key to a sustainable health care system for Ontario.
For more information, visit http://www.ocsa.on.ca and https://twitter.com/OCSAtweets
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OCSA has partnered with Cowan Benefits™ as our preferred group benefits partner to help member organizations explore flexible, sustainable employee benefits solutions tailored to the community support and not-for-profit sectors. As the OASSIS program transitions, Cowan will provide OCSA members with expert guidance, dedicated support and flexible group benefits options designed to balance affordability, stability and employee wellbeing. Whether organizations are looking for comparable coverage, greater flexibility or a longer-term benefits strategy, Cowan will work with them to identify solutions that meet their needs and support a smooth transition.
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