Reflecting on Canada Day: A time to listen, learn and act
Jul 1, 2025
As Canadians mark Canada’s 158th birthday, the Canadian Mental Health Association Thames Valley Addiction and Mental Health Services invites thoughtful reflection on the country’s origins and its ongoing relationship with Indigenous communities and Peoples across. The legacy of the Indian Residential School system, the Sixties Scoop, land dispossession, and ongoing systemic discrimination may have lasting effects on mental health and well-being of Indigenous Peoples across Canada.
In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) released 94 Calls to Action for all sectors to address the profound harms caused by the Indian Residential School system and colonial policies. These Calls to Action were created to redress intergenerational trauma and guide healing and foster Indigenous Residential School survivors and their families.
In 2024, the Assembly of First Nations reported only 14 of 94 Calls to Action have been fully implemented reminder that much work remains. In the spirit of Reconciliation, CMHA branches are walking their paths toward Reconciliation, striving to listen, learn, and build meaningful relationships that are grounded in trust and mutual respect with Indigenous communities.
Across Ontario, CMHA Branches are working to create culturally safe spaces and support Indigenous-led holistic approaches to addressing mental health. These efforts reflect our recognition that healing must be grounded in respect for Indigenous knowledge systems, traditions, and community leadership. Many branches are embedding cultural safety practices within our mental health and addictions programming and services, while also creating learning opportunities for staff to deepen their understanding of the historical and systemic barriers experienced by many Indigenous Peoples.
This work is ongoing, and we know we have more to do. Instead of seeing reconciliation as a checklist, we see it as a long-term commitment to change, accountability, and respect.
Reconciliation is ongoing, often uncomfortable and always necessary.
This Canada Day, we invite you to hold space for the truth, honour Indigenous voices and join us in working toward a more just and equitable future for all.
Here’s a reflection prompt: Have you ever thought about your relationship to the land you’re on? What would change if you saw the ground beneath your feet not as “Canada,” but as territory with a name, a history and caretakers? What does Reconciliation mean to you?
Read the Yellowhead Institute’s 2023 Calls to Action Update.