On September 26, 2022, the Honourable Raj Chouhan, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, hosted an unveiling of a framed children's orange shirt that was gifted to the Legislative Assembly by Eddy Charlie, co-founder of Victoria Orange Shirt Day. This special shirt is now on permanent display in the Lower Rotunda to honour all those impacted by residential schools – survivors and their families, as well as the children who never made it home.
Following the May 2021 confirmation of unmarked graves near the site of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School, the orange shirt had been on display in the Parliament Buildings for a year leading up to its permanent installation. Nearby, visitors had an opportunity to share words of condolence or support for residential school survivors and their families in a book of remembrance.
The orange shirt features a design by Indigenous artist, Bear Horne, who created this shirt for organizers of Victoria Orange Shirt Day. Included is a bear standing shoulder to shoulder with an eagle to represent following the right path, while holding a vision of a brighter future. The hummingbirds represent healthy minds, bodies, and spirits, while the flower feeds the connection of these symbols.
Orange shirts have become symbolic of the tragic legacy of residential schools across Canada, after residential school survivor, Phyllis (Jack) Webstad, shared her story of having the new orange shirt that she wore taken from her when she arrived at St. Joseph Mission residential school at six years old.
At least 150,000 Indigenous children were forced into the residential school system from the 1800s through to the closure of the last school in 1996. Orange Shirt Day is marked annually on September 30 to raise awareness of the harmful legacy and intergenerational impacts of these schools. Since 2021, September 30 has also been formally designated as the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
