Rugby Canada Acknowledges National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

September 30, 2024 (Vancouver, BC) – Every year on September 30, Canada acknowledges National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.  

The day honours the children who never returned home and Survivors of residential schools, as well as their families and communities. Public commemoration of the tragic and painful history and ongoing impacts of residential schools is a vital component of the reconciliation process. This federal statutory holiday was created through legislative amendments made by Parliament. 

Just as Canada’s Women’s Rugby Team did yesterday during their warmup for their WXV 1 match against France, Rugby Canada encourages all Canadians to wear orange today, to raise awareness of the individual, family and community inter-generational impacts of residential schools. 

In acknowledging National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Rugby Canada will be donating $10 from each orange shirt sold from now until October 12 to the Musqueam First Nation to support the growth of rugby in their community. By supporting Musqueam, Rugby Canada aims to promote the game of rugby in Indigenous communities.  

On September 29, Paris 2024 Olympic silver medalist, and the first Indigenous woman from Canada to win an Olympic rugby sevens medal, Shalaya Valenzuela, was at BC Place for Canada’s match against France to sign orange shirts and autographs. 

Going forward, Rugby Canada and Vancouver Sevens are pleased to continue the partnership with the three local First Nations, xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), collaborating on territorial acknowledgements, medal designs, Captains Photo, and more. This year's partner was Musqueam and for the first time in the Vancouver SVNS event history, the host city name was displayed on the centreboards in BC Place in the languages of the local First Nations, hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ and sqʷχʷoʔməʃ snit͡ʃim.  

Through Rugby Canada’s Community Rugby Fund initiative that began in 2021, special consideration has been given to rugby clubs or community organizations whose projects aim to enhance inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility of rugby within a club, educational institution, or community organization, particularly for the Indigenous communities. 

Rugby Canada has funded a total of eight projects that focus on Indigenous programming over the past four years, including four applications from Thunder Indigenous Rugby, the Comox Valley Rapids and John Arnalukjuak High School.
 
Learn more about Rugby Canada’s Community Rugby Fund HERE. 
 
To learn more about National Indigenous History Month and National Indigenous Peoples Day, click on the resources below: 

National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation  
 
Learning resources about First Nations, Inuit and Métis across Canada 
 
Mental Health Services