The ATU Stands with Indigenous Communities This year on Canada Day and the first-ever National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, the ATU stood with Indigenous communities and the lost children and survivors who endured generations of abuse at the hands of residential schools throughout Canada. “Public recognition of these tragedies is a critical piece of the reconciliation process. Over 150,000 Indigenous children were separated from their families and communities to attend these residential schools,” said International President John Costa to commemorate the holiday. The atrocities that began in 1831 spanned more than a century, with the last school closing in 1998. Many of these children, who were taken away from their families and communities, also lost their lives, with thousands of them being tragically discovered in unmarked graves at the former residential schools. “Real reconciliation means more than a national holiday. We must never forget what happened and must continue to speak the truth about this dark chapter in Canada’s history,” Costa continued. “Indigenous communities across Canada deserve truth and justice.” The ATU also demands that cities rename transit stations that have been named after the architects of the residential school system, as well as enact the 94 recommendations in the Truth and Reconciliation Report and the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls report. v
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