My Journey Towards Understanding Truth and Reconciliation
26
Sep 2022
242
Photo Credit:
Chong Wei
Author: Joelle Mason, HR Generalist CPHR Candidate
This blog comes from my desire to learn more about The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. As a millennial white woman that grew up in British Columbia, I did not learn about this in school and, given the current cultural climate, I wanted to take the time to self-educate and document my personal journey in learning about the importance of this day.
What is National Day for Truth and Reconciliation?
The Government of Canada's website states “September 30, 2021, marked the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Canada. The purpose of this day is to honour the lost children and Survivors of residential schools, their families and communities. National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is a public commemoration of the tragic and painful history and ongoing impacts of residential schools."
Some Truths about Our History
Canada became a country on July 1, 1867, and just nine years later in 1876, the Indian Act was passed into law by parliament.
The Indian Act is the primary law the federal government used to administer Indian Status. This Act subsumed a number of colonial laws that aimed to eliminate First Nations culture in favour of assimilation into Euro-Canadian Society. A primary method of assimilation were government and church-sponsored, religious schools called residential schools. These schools removed children from their homes and were a system designed to kill the Indian in the child. Residential schools still impact Indigenous People through intergenerational trauma. It was shocking to learn that the last residential school only closed in 1996, when I was a child.
The Indian Act had and continues to have an enormous impact on Indigenous People. Including imposing the elected chief and band council system. Prior to European contact, many nations had their own distinctive political institutions, traditions, leadership systems, economy’s, cultures, and autonomous control over their territories and resources. Having an imposed chief and band council system placed upon them took away from their traditional methods of governing themselves. This example and much more were laid out in the eye-opening book titled 21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act by Bob Joseph.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) was created through a legal settlement between Residential school survivors, the Assembly of First Nations, Inuit representatives and the parties responsible for the creation and operation of the schools: the federal government and the church bodies. Their mandate was to inform all Canadians about what happened in residential schools.
The TRC has a recorded testimony of more than 6,000 survivors affected by residential schools. Over more than a century, it is estimated approximately 150,000 Indigenous children were separated from their families and communities and forced to attend one of 139 residential schools across Canada.
Moment of Reflection
Canada’s treatment of Indigenous people through methods imposed by the Indian Act led to many appalling and horrible consequences for their communities and culture that are still in place today.
These are facts; they are not easy, they are uncomfortable, but unfortunately, they are a reality. Part of honouring this day is acknowledging these truths as a first step to help us move toward reconciliation.
On the Road to Reconciliation
One of the most important outcomes of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada were their . 94 Calls to Action.
These calls to action outline actionable steps towards reconciliation. For example, Call to Action 80 specifically called for a statutory holiday to honour survivors, their families and communities. As a result, National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is now a federally recognized statutory holiday on September 30.
Many of the TRC’s calls to action call upon the federal, provincial, municipal and territorial governments to adopt or fully implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People. This document was adopted by the United Nations general assembly in 2007 and on June 21st, 2021, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act
received Royal Assent and came into force in Canada. This Act provides a roadmap to help guide the Government of Canada and Indigenous people to work together toward lasting reconciliation and healing.
With this knowledge and framework in mind, there are actionable steps that businesses and individuals can take toward reconciliation. For example, I met with a local Knowledge Keeper and she guided me to Call to Action 92.
This call to action is specific to the corporate sector and asks businesses to use the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as a reconciliation framework and to apply its principles, norms, and standards to corporate policy and core operational activities involving Indigenous peoples and their lands and resources.
This call to action provides us as Human Resource professionals an excellent opportunity to collaborate and strategize toward meaningful actions in our organizations in building a reconciliation framework.
Action Steps towards Learning More About Reconciliation and Building a Framework in Your Organization
Through this process, I feel I’ve barely scratched the surface of the significance of Truth and Reconciliation. And yet, I have had the support of many individuals who took the time to help me learn more. With the knowledge and context, they provided as well as the books I read and other research completed. I would like to highlight their ideas and offer you some tactical steps as to how HR professionals can implement Call to Action 92.
- Read the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People.
- Read the TRCs 94 Calls to Action
- Spend time reading and learning more. Some books that were recommended to me are: 21 Things You Did Not Know About the Indian Act, Indigenous Relations - Insights Tips & Suggestions to make Reconciliation a Reality
Start with Local Understanding:
- Learn about the First Nations from where you live https://native-land.ca/
- Take some time to research about the First Nations who are traditional to your area
- Check the internet to see if there is a website or somewhere to learn more about relevant topics in their community.
- Look for an event calendar to see if you can attend an event and learn about their cultural norms.
- Be respectful, do your best to research and see what the appropriate norms when attending an event.
- Sign up for a newsletter.
- Follow content creators across different social media platforms.
- Pronunciation is important, google how to properly pronounce their traditional names.
- Educate yourself about the diversity amongst Indigenous Peoples. There might be some cultural differences to consider such as teachings around interconnectedness of all living beings and differences in communication styles. Remember, not all Indigenous people are alike and there is much diversity within communities as well.
- If possible, ensure that what you are learning has been authenticated appropriately by Elders and Knowledge Keepers.
- If you are based in Calgary this was a resource recommended to me https://calgaryfoundation.org/about-us/reconciliation/land-acknowledgement/
- Assess your current situation are you in a learning/education phase where you need to educate more about our past truths or are you in an implementation phase and are able to being incorporating reconciliation actions within your community.
- Incorporate a book club into your organization that covers the cost of books your team can read from Indigenous Authors.
- Advocate for your leadership to acknowledge National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in your organization.
- Create a standing agenda item for your team to continuously revisit Call to Action 92 and brainstorm ways to incorporate reconciliation processes into your organization.
- Ensure this is a separative initiative that is not lumped under the umbrella of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging.
- Provide resources to your team for those who want to learn more. The University of Alberta has a fee course called Indigenous Canada This course also has a paid component where certificates can be awarded upon successful completion.
- Implement professional development days that focus on Indigenous people, Metis and Inuit matters.
- Invite an Elder to your organization and ensure you follow protocols to welcome them in a good way.
As an HR Professional of a small business (26 employees), here are the actions I will take within my own company to begin incorporating Call to Action 92:
- Acknowledge National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in our organization as a Statutory Holiday.
- Send out a MS Teams Post about National Day for Truth and Reconciliation: Acknowledging what has been covered in the media about Every Child Matters and create a conversation.
- Encourage our team to wear an orange shirt on September 30 and educate them on the background significance of this.
- Research local Indigenous artists to acquire our orange shirts from.
- Share Call to Action 92 with our team and brainstorm ideas as to how we can incorporate it.
- Create a standing agenda item to continuously revisit call to action 92.
- Share resources for them to learn more. For example, this free course Indigenous Canada | University of Alberta (ualberta.ca).
- Purchased alliedFutures Project Toolkit – A guided knowledge sharing series led by a community of settlers, Elders and Knowledge Keepers. It is an educational toolkit to get informed, unlearn and unsettle.
It is so important that we as HR Professionals living in Canada become educated about these issues. Incredible work on this matter has already been done and I am excited to contribute towards more actions to help support reconciliation moving forward. We would love for all of you to share with us some of your stories about how this has impacted you and how the businesses you are working for might incorporate and participate in Truth and Reconciliation.
I look forward to collaborating with all of you on our reconciliation journey.
The views and opinions expressed in this blog post belong solely to the original author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of CPHR Alberta.
The views and opinions expressed in this blog post belong solely to the original author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of CPHR Alberta.
Author: Jennifer Muellers, Katy O’Brien-Watson, and Mandy Ingraham (Grande Prairie Chapter Committee) Every October, Alberta celebrates Disability Employment Awareness Month (DEAM) which promotes employment inclusion and increased participation of workers with disabilities in Alberta’s economy. DEAM celebrates the contributions of workers with disabilities and supports employers in practicing inclusive hiring (Government of Alberta, 2025). The Grande Prairie Chapter chose a local story of a girl named Kiesha, who was told after her car accident she would likely never walk again. Kiesha uses her story to inspire and uplift others through her journey of perseverance through public speaking engagements. Kiesha frames her journey not just as healing for herself, but as something that can help and inspire others in similar situations. Her film touches on living and working with disability in a rural setting like Grande Prairie and how accessibility, advocacy, community support and awareness are so important to her success. It shows through her positive outlook she empowers those around her even through her job at Costco. A local business owner speaks on his experience of having Kiesha as a client at his business and how this made him think differently about his business environment to be welcoming and accessible for all within the community. The film Able is a production supported by STORYHIVE and is made available (free on-demand) via TELUS Optik. The Changing World of Work The world of work is always evolving, and it is more accepting of individuals and their unique abilities than ever before, however, each instance of disability and accommodation cannot be given a ‘one size fits all’ mentality. There are many different types of disabilities and health factors that organizations need to be mindful of and accommodate. For example: cognitive and mental health disabilities (learning disabilities, autism spectrum, ADHD, etc.), physical disabilities (colour blindness), and chronic health issues (addiction, diabetes, epilepsy, Ehler Danlos syndrome, lupus). Even temporary conditions, such as pregnancy and menopause need to be accommodated in the workplace. The partnership between Human Resources and Management along with employees and other stakeholders can lead to deeper understanding and appreciation to what individuals are facing day to day. Some key items for the Human Resources Role to consider when Accommodating Employees: Have policies regarding accommodation in the workplace Ensure leaders and employees are walking the walk and talking the talk Train managers on accommodation in the workplace a) This could include Mental Health First Aid, Crisis Interventionist training, Drug and Alcohol Awareness training b) Employer’s Duty to Inquire and Duty to Accommodate Consider Emotional Intelligence training Work with managers and the employee requesting accommodation as per the employer’s Duty to Accommodate and establish an acceptable accommodation Employee Feedback a) Have questions regarding DE&I in the annual employee survey b) Have an open-door policy for employees to make suggestions on how to make the workplace more accessible Work with a local disability organization for assistance on determining if your organization is physically accessible a) is your handicapped parking space large enough? Do you have an automatic door opener? Can someone in a wheelchair reach the automatic door opener? Disability Employment Awareness Month serves as an important reminder that inclusion is not just a celebration—it’s a commitment to equitable workplaces and meaningful participation. Kiesha’s story in Able demonstrates the power of perseverance, the impact of inclusive employment, and the vital role employers play in shaping accessible and supportive environments. Her journey reminds us that when individuals are empowered to bring their full selves to work, everyone benefits—teams grow stronger and perspectives broaden. As HR professionals, we have the responsibility and privilege to lead this change. Through thoughtful policies, continuous training, and genuine engagement with employees, we can remove barriers and foster workplaces where inclusion is lived, not just stated. By prioritizing accessibility, empathy, and flexibility, we create cultures that value every person’s contribution. We can ensure that every employee—regardless of ability—has the resources and support needed to succeed and add meaningful value to Alberta’s workforce.
Author: Calgary Chapter Committee The political climate has become an undeniable force in our lives, influencing not only public discourse but also personal well-being. Whether it is uncertainty surrounding federal policies, international conflicts, or provincial conversations about autonomy, employees are increasingly bringing political anxiety into the workplace. For HR professionals, this growing tension presents unique challenges. The task is not to take sides, but to foster environments where mental health is supported and respectful dialogue can take place. According to the Mental Health Commission of Canada, political anxiety is not a passing trend. It is a persistent stressor with real consequences for how individuals feel and function at work. The Commission highlights how political stress mimics other forms of chronic anxiety, causing sleep disturbances, irritability, and a sense of hopelessness ( MHCC, 2024 ). Constant exposure to polarizing news and divisive topics can leave employees feeling overwhelmed. This emotional fatigue, if left unaddressed, affects focus, performance, and team dynamics. A recent CBC feature underscores the cumulative effect of ongoing political and economic instability. It describes how stress can build over time, eroding emotional resilience and making it harder for people to manage conflict, remain productive, or feel safe expressing themselves ( CBC, 2023 ). These dynamics are not just playing out in public forums; they are showing up in team meetings, informal conversations, and leadership decisions. HR professionals often find themselves at the intersection of these pressures. They are expected to support others while managing their own reactions to difficult news and evolving policies. They are tasked with implementing wellness strategies, fostering respectful communication, and ensuring compliance with changing legislation. It is a complex and emotionally demanding role. However, there are practical ways HR professionals can help reduce the burden of political anxiety in the workplace. The goal is not to suppress conversation, but to provide thoughtful, respectful guidance and tools that help people navigate uncertainty together. 1. Normalize the Conversation Begin by acknowledging that political stress exists and can impact work. A short message in a wellness newsletter or internal briefing can go a long way. When people feel that their experience is valid, they are more likely to seek help and less likely to internalize stress. Headspace, a leader in workplace wellness, emphasizes that validating emotions is a foundational step in reducing their intensity ( Headspace, 2024 ). 2. Communicate Proactively and Clearly When organizations face potential impacts from political or economic changes, silence can worsen fear. Clear, honest communication builds trust. The Mental Health Commission of Canada cites a national survey in which over half of respondents said that uncertainty was more stressful than bad news itself ( MHCC, 2024 ). Leaders should not speculate, but they should share what is known and outline the steps being taken to support employees. 3. Expand Mental Health Support Ensure that all employees know how to access support, whether through an employee assistance program, mental health benefits, or external community resources. Consider adding or promoting mindfulness programs, mental health first-aid training, or virtual therapy services. Managers in particular need support, as they are often the first people employees turn to during moments of stress. 4. Provide Strategies to Employees for Managing Political Anxiety in the Workplace Limit news exposure to reduce anxiety and protect mental health through digital detoxes. Highlight shared values such as respect, integrity and collaboration to help anchor people – reinforce a strong organizational culture rooted in community. Encourage volunteering and community engagement to restore control and purpose, which are critical to mental well-being. Support ongoing self-care and stress management practices. 5. Reinforce Respectful Conduct and Psychological Safety Review your organization’s code of conduct, respectful workplace policies, and social media guidelines. Ensure that employees understand expectations around respectful communication. Reinforce that differing opinions are welcome, but harassment or retaliation are never acceptable. A psychologically safe workplace benefits everyone by fostering trust, encouraging open communication, and enhancing overall productivity and well-being. 6. Equip Managers with Tools Offer training for people leaders on how to recognize signs of stress and respond with empathy. Provide scripts or toolkits for addressing politically charged questions in a way that keeps conversations respectful and focused on shared purpose. HR professionals do not need to have all the answers to the political questions of the day. Their role is to create structures that protect employee well-being and promote a respectful, inclusive workplace. By encouraging open dialogue, providing clear communication, and expanding access to wellness resources, HR leaders can reduce the impact of political uncertainty and help their teams thrive. As the landscape continues to evolve, it is critical to stay grounded in compassion and clarity. Utilizing the above tools and strategies, HR professionals can be a steady and reassuring presence for their organizations in uncertain times.
Every mentorship match has the potential to create a ripple – one that extends far beyond the program itself. In our January–June 2025 intake, the CPHR Alberta Mentorship Program received over 225 applications across four unique streams, resulting in 100 mentor-protégé pairings, 17 peer matches, and 7 student group cohorts. This momentum reflects the strength of our HR community and its commitment to shared growth and learning. This year, we invited participants to reflect on three powerful questions: How has this mentorship experience shaped your perspective, and how do you plan to share the wisdom you’ve gained with others in our community? How will participation in the mentorship program create a wave in your career and support the impact you leave on your workplace and broader community? What has been your 'golden nugget' from this experience that will leave a lasting ripple in your career? Their responses were as thoughtful as they were inspiring. Testimonial #1 One of the main benefits of mentoring relationships, aside from the enjoyment of getting to know a colleague, is the ability to consider current situations I am dealing with in light of the other person's experiences. Often, these relationships help me with fresh insights I can use to benefit my team and organization. Over the past few years, I have enjoyed the mentorship program, and have taken the opportunity to encourage others to consider the benefits of the program when chatting at CPHR functions, etc. - Bob Wiebe Testimonial #2 Through participation in the CPHR Alberta Mentorship Program, my sense of belonging in the profession has grown and I have gained a personal sense of connection to the community of practice that spurs me to continue to professionally grow to enable others to find their voice and professional belonging in our community to leave a lasting impact. - Amanda Van Haaften Testimonial #3 My golden nugget from this experience has been the realization of how powerful intentional communication and active listening can be in building trust and relationships, solving problems, and influencing outcomes. This insight has shifted how I approach conversations—whether with colleagues, clients, or leaders. It’s a simple concept, but its impact is lasting. - Archana Malhotra Throughout the intake, our Mentorship Committee stayed meaningfully connected with participants through support groups, live webinars, monthly mentoring e-newsletters, and on-demand micro-sessions – with more to come. Each touchpoint offered space to pause, reflect, and grow – together. Mentorship is never one-directional – it’s a cycle of giving, learning, and leading. We’re thrilled to welcome our new applicants for the upcoming intake and continue building a community rooted in connection and growth. Whether you're a mentor or protégé, you’ll gain valuable insights, meaningful relationships, and the chance to leave a lasting impact.
