Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) celebrated its first in-person National Indigenous Peoples Day since 2019 this week. 

Since 1996, the day has correlated with the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year, to celebrate the cultures of Canada’s First Nations, Inuit and Metis cultures.  

The all-day event included a sunrise ceremony at Toronto city hall at 5:30 AM ET, and speeches from several community leaders, including elder Joanne Dallaire.  

"It [National Indigenous Peoples Day] celebrates all the incredible sacrifices and work, and abuse that our ancestors took to fight for our right to be here, fight for our right to have our Indigenous language and sovereignty around the things that we do."

A focus of the day’s celebration was the need for allyship across cultures, institutions and peoples. 

"I want to thank all the allies that sit in this room, work behind the scenes on everything, it means so much," said Dallaire. "It means so much when I do the in-house circles, which I'm doing again and are back this year, to have non-Indigenous peoples come in to learn of our ways."

TMU’s commitment to its 22 recommendations, including the school name change, were acknowledged as first steps towards proper reconciliation between Indigenous peoples and the city of Toronto. 

The university is expected to fulfill the remaining 21 recommendations gradually, including the renaming of the varsity team and mascot, who was nicknamed "Eggy" after Egerton Ryerson, the school’s namesake and contributor to Canada’s creation of the residential school system.  

TMU’s name change has remained at the forefront of the school’s commitment, especially after the discovery of mass graves around former residential schools sparked renewed calls for truth and reconciliation. Egerton Ryerson’s statue was removed from campus grounds last summer. 

Provost and co-chair of the Standing Strong Task force, Jennifer Simpson, sent a message for the festivities, saying that the university remains committed to helping the city seek truth and reconciliation with its Indigenous communities. 

Simpson was unable to attend due to the ongoing in-person convocation ceremonies.  

Other parts of the festivities include tours of TMU’s new Indigenous Medicine Garden at the Daphne Cockwell Health Sciences Complex and a Wampum Belt woven through Anishinaabe history led by Brian Charles, a liaison between the provincial and federal governments on Indigenous affairs. 

On the TMU website, the university writes that this year’s celebration is an opportunity to reaffirm its commitment to truth and reconciliation on a daily basis. 

Listen to CJRU's coverage of National Indigenous Peoples Day at TMU: