On September 30, 2021, Orange Shirt Day and Canada’s first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Canadian Pacific proudly placed into service the “Every Child Matters” orange locomotive to commemorate the victims and honour the survivors of residential schools in Canada. The locomotive will raise awareness as it operates across CP’s network for all of us who see it to continue on the path of learning about Indigenous Peoples and their rich history and culture.
The special orange locomotive was proposed by 13-year-old Jacob Hoffer, an Indigenous youth, who in the summer 2021 wrote to CP asking it to consider painting one of CP’s locomotives orange. In September, Jacob and his mom, Darcy, were invited to CP headquarters in Calgary to participate in the unveiling of the locomotive he helped make a reality.
CP received guidance from the Orange Shirt Society (OSS) to develop the special livery for this locomotive, which proudly displays the OSS logo on the side of the locomotive’s nose. OSS is a non-profit organization that supports Indian Residential School Reconciliation and creates awareness of the individual, family and community inter-generational impacts of Indian Residential Schools.
CP is proud to support the efforts of the OSS to create meaningful discussion about the effects of residential schools and the legacy they have left behind.
CP’s orange locomotive was commissioned onto the network on Orange Shirt Day and the first official National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Canada.
The very nature and purpose of Orange Shirt Day, and National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, are to create an opportunity for Canadians to learn about and reflect on a dark chapter in the country’s history and to commemorate the victims and honour the survivors, their families and their communities, as called for by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and Indigenous leaders.
The orange locomotive will serve as a constant reminder of the work ahead, but also draw on the inspiration that connected Jacob, CP and the Orange Shirt Society – “Every Child Matters”
-via Press Release