'94 in 94' social media campaign renews Truth and Reconciliation Commission's calls to action

A new social media campaign is renewing the 94 calls to action put forth by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission nearly seven years ago by encouraging Manitobans to actually do them, and talk about it online.

"94 in 94" is a joint campaign started by non-profit organizations Circles for Reconciliation and Reconciliation Thunder, in partnership with the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation.

The campaign starts Sept.12, and is highlighting a different call to action every day across social media for 94 days.

Jimmy Thunder, chair of Reconciliation Thunder, says it is important to keep the conversation about reconciliation going.

"Here we are so many years later, after the truth and reconciliation commission's final report and the 94 calls to action," he said, "still now there's so many people that don't know what call to action they can act on, or even what the 94 calls to action are.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada released its six-volume final report in December 2015. The report included 94 calls to action to further reconciliation between Canadians and Indigenous peoples.

Thunder says he is grateful that some of the calls to action have happened, including the recent apology from the Pope to the Indigenous peoples of Canada for the role the Catholic Church played in residential schools across Canada. But Thunder says we have a long way to go.

"We're sort of at the very beginning of reconciliation within Canada. A lot of work needs to be done, a lot of relationships need to be built, and a lot of wrongs need to be righted," he said.

The issue has been brought back to the forefront after the discovery of hundreds of unmarked graves outside several former residential school sites across Canada in 2021.

Kaila Johnston, supervisor of education at the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, says documentation on what has been done so far is inconsistent.

"Depending on where you go to get your information, you'll get a different number of how many have been enacted upon, so it's really important that we continue to focus our energy upon those calls to action and engagement," said Johnston.

All three organizations will be posting a different call to action on social media every day, encouraging people to take action, share the posts, and talk to their friends and family about reconciliation.

The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation is also planning an entire week of content leading up the second National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on Sept. 30.

Johnston says reconciliation is an ongoing process, "the calls to action aren’t a tally sheet to be completed and said 'once 94 have been done, we've achieved reconciliation,'" she said. "It's about renewing that relationship every year, getting a better understanding of where you fit and how you engage with Indigenous peoples, the original inhabitants of Canada."