ReconciliACTION - From Awareness to Action
ReconciliACTION is about moving beyond awareness into action. It means turning words into deeds, taking responsibility, showing up, and doing the work of reconciliation in our daily lives. It is about creating meaningful change by building relationships, challenging systems of oppression, and walking alongside Indigenous peoples with humility and respect.
Reconciliation is not a one-time event or a checklist. It is an ongoing commitment that requires courage, consistency, and care.
Why is it important?
Truth before reconciliation: We cannot heal what we do not name. Facing the truth of colonization, residential schools, the Sixties Scoop, Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit people, and ongoing systemic harms is essential.
Responsibility: Reconciliation is not the responsibility of Indigenous peoples alone. Non-Indigenous people have a role to play, acting within their spheres of influence and using their privilege to dismantle harmful systems.
Relationship: ReconciliACTION is about walking together. This requires trust, listening, and showing up even when it is uncomfortable. It requires vulnerability—acknowledging ways you’ve benefited from systems that have harmed others—and a commitment to engage in uncomfortable conversations and situations, whether with yourself, loved ones, or strangers.
Everyday actions
Listen deeply and with an open heart.
Believe and validate the stories you hear.
Plant seeds of truth in conversations with friends, family, and co-workers.
Speak up when you hear harmful comments, even when it feels uncomfortable.
Share Indigenous voices, art, and teachings. Highlight the resilience and joy that persist despite the ongoing impacts of colonization.
Relational actions
Create space for Indigenous colleagues and community members to share, without rushing, centering yourself, or debating their experiences.
Walk alongside Indigenous people rather than in front of them—allyship means transferring privilege and amplifying voices that are often silenced.
Take on tasks, advocacy, or emotional labour when Indigenous friends, coworkers, or communities are exhausted.
Structural actions
Learn the history and impacts of colonization and systemic oppression in Canada.
Support Indigenous-led organizations and businesses.
Challenge policies, practices, and structures that harm Indigenous peoples in your workplace and community.
Work collectively to change institutions, not just individual behaviours.
Small steps we can take
Integrate cultural humility into our practice.
Acknowledge the land we live and work on.
Build authentic relationships.
Available Resources
Check out the NCTR’s (National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation) ReconciliACTION Plan for inspiration, tools, and guidance to create your own plan for meaningful action.
Learn the Indigenous territories, treaties, and languages of the land where you live.
Native Land Digital: Global Map of Indigenous Territories, Languages and Treaties
Whose Land: Identify Indigenous Nations, Territories, and Communities Across Canada
Explore the Indigenous Languages Resource Centre through the Calgary Public Library for pronunciation guides, language learning apps, and other resources that support the revitalization and respectful use of Indigenous languages.