National Day for
Truth and Reconciliation
September 30
Honouring Survivors. Remembering the children who never came home.
This small orange button is an invitation to remember, to listen and to learn.
A day to remember
September 30 honours the children who were taken from their families and sent to residential schools, those who survived, those who never returned home, and the families and communities who continue to live with the consequences.
Reconciliation begins with truth. It continues with action.
The story behind the orange shirt
In 1973, six-year-old Phyllis Webstad arrived at St. Joseph Mission Residential School wearing a new orange shirt her grandmother had bought her. The shirt was taken away when she arrived.
Phyllis’s experience helped inspire Orange Shirt Day in 2013 and its message that every child matters. Hear the story directly from her.
Truth before reconciliation
From 2008 to 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada gathered the experiences of Survivors, families and communities. Its final report included 94 Calls to Action addressing the harms of residential schools and the changes needed to advance reconciliation.
The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation was first observed in 2021, in response to Call to Action 80. It shares September 30 with Orange Shirt Day.
Listen. Learn. Remember.
September 30 is one day. The work of reconciliation continues throughout the year.
Take time to hear Survivors’ stories, learn about the Indigenous Nations whose lands you live on, and consider how you can contribute to meaningful change.
The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation offers Survivor testimonies, historical records and educational resources to continue your learning.
Land acknowledgement
I live and work in Vancouver — I am a settler on the ancestral, traditional and unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.
I acknowledge their enduring connection to these lands and waters, and their continuing presence and stewardship.