In a press release Thursday, Premier Blaine Higgs said he “encourages New Brunswickers to take a moment to reflect on what we can do as individuals to promote reconciliation.” The Mi’gmawe’l Tplu’taqnn, the Mi’kmaq chiefs of New Brunswick, issued their own statement Thursday, which acknowledged their relationship with the Higgs government has been “strained.” “The recognition of this holiday does not reconcile issues or differences with the Higgs government, but it is a step in the right direction,” the statement said. The day is dedicated to honoring residential and day school victims and survivors, they said, including those who attended Sussex Vale Day School and Shubenacadie Residential School in Nova Scotia. The day was celebrated last year in many communities across the country, including Ottawa. A memorial was unveiled on Parliament Hill on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on September 30, 2021. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press) By sponsoring the holiday, the chiefs said, the province allows people to reflect on “how we can learn from each other and work together,” as treaty partners. Schools in New Brunswick will close on Sept. 30, along with government offices and services, but all essential services, such as health care, will “continue to be provided,” the province said. Holidays are optional for the private sector.
Last year, the Higgs government did not recognize the inaugural National Day for Truth and Reconciliation as a provincial holiday. All provincial services, including schools, were operating as normal on September 30, 2021, which left some municipalities calling for city offices to close anyway. In June, Green Party leader David Coon introduced a proposal that would see the day officially recognized in the province. Arlene Dunn, the minister responsible for aboriginal affairs, proposed amendments, including removing all reference to unceded and unceded lands. Amendments were also made to state that while the federal government established a national Truth and Reconciliation Day to remember the legacy of residential schools in Canada, there were no residential schools in New Brunswick. The resolution passed with the amendments, which leaders of the six Wolastoqey First Nations in New Brunswick said at the time “stripped the truth” of the movement.