What is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation?

The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation was established through legislation passed in 2021 by the Government of Canada in direct response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Call to Action number 80.

The day honours the children who never returned home and survivors of residential schools, as well as their families and communities. Public commemoration of the tragic and painful history and ongoing impacts of residential schools is a vital component of the reconciliation process.

The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation was established to coincide with Orange Shirt Day, which also takes place annually on Sept. 30, to build on the momentum of that movement.

Orange Shirt Day is named for the day in 1973 when six-year-old Phyllis Webstad first arrived at a residential school outside Williams Lake, BC. That day, Phyllis wore a brand new orange shirt that had been gifted to her by her grandmother. Upon arriving, Phyllis was stripped of her shirt by school officials, who cut her hair and replaced her clothes with a school uniform. She never saw her orange shirt again.

In 2013, the Indigenous-led, grassroots Orange Shirt Day movement was founded in memory of this traumatic incident, which has come to symbolize the stories of so many residential-school survivors.

Orange Shirt Day was created as an opportunity to discuss the effects of residential schools and their legacy. It honours the experiences of Indigenous Peoples, celebrates resilience and affirms a commitment that Every Child Matters.

Wearing an orange shirt reminds us that the impacts of residential schools are still felt today.

Orange Shirt Day takes place each year on Sept. 30. Visit the Orange Shirt Society online to learn more about Orange Shirt Day.

For a period of more than 150 years, First Nations, Inuit and Métis Nation children were taken from their families and communities to attend schools which were often located far from their homes. More than 150,000 children attended Indian Residential Schools. Many never returned.

The first church-run Indian Residential School was opened in 1831. By the 1880s, the federal government had adopted an official policy of funding residential schools across Canada. The explicit intent was to separate these children from their families and cultures. In 1920, the Indian Act made attendance at Indian Residential Schools compulsory for Treaty-status children between the ages of 7 and 15.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) concluded that residential schools were “a systematic, government-sponsored attempt to destroy Aboriginal cultures and languages and to assimilate Aboriginal peoples so that they no longer existed as distinct peoples.” The TRC characterized this intent as “cultural genocide.”

The schools were often underfunded and overcrowded. The quality of education was substandard. Children were harshly punished for speaking their own languages. Staff were not held accountable for how they treated the children.

Thousands of students suffered physical and sexual abuse at residential schools. All suffered from loneliness and a longing to be home with their families.

The schools hurt the children. The schools also hurt their families and their communities. Children were deprived of healthy examples of love and respect. The distinct cultures, traditions, languages, and knowledge systems of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples were eroded by forced assimilation.

The last residential school was not closed until 1996. The damages inflicted by residential schools continue to this day. In recent years, the identification of unmarked burial sites on the grounds of former residential schools throughout Canada has underscored the horrific impact of these schools on children, families and communities.

From the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation. Visit their website to learn more about the history of residential schools in Canada.


The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) was established as one of the elements of the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement, the largest class-action settlement in Canadian history. The TRC was set up to facilitate reconciliation among former students, their families, their communities and all Canadians.

Beginning in 2007, the TRC spent six years travelling to all parts of Canada and heard from more than 6,500 witnesses. The TRC also hosted seven national events across Canada to engage the Canadian public, educate people about the history and legacy of the residential schools system, and share and honour the experiences of former students and their families.

The TRC created a historical record of the residential schools system. As part of this process, the Government of Canada provided over 5 million records to the TRC. The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation at the University of Manitoba now houses all of the documents collected by the TRC.

In June 2015, the TRC held its closing event in Ottawa and presented the executive summary of the findings contained in its multi-volume final report, including 94 “Calls to Action” (or recommendations) to further reconciliation between Canadians and Indigenous Peoples.

In December 2015, the TRC released its entire six-volume final report. All Canadians are encouraged to read the summary or the final report to learn more about the terrible history of Indian Residential Schools and its sad legacy.

To read the reports, please visit the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation website.


As part of Emily Carr University’s ongoing commitment to reconciliation and decolonization, the university observes the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation as an opportunity for all of us who are settlers and guests on this land to acknowledge the truth of Canada’s collective history, reflect on the ongoing harms of this history, and consider how we can advance the important work of reconciliation as individuals and as an institution.

We observe Sept. 30 to acknowledge the ongoing, intergenerational harms perpetuated by colonization. We observe the day to honour the many children who were taken from their homes to meet unthinkable suffering at the hands of the Canadian residential school system. And we observe the day to remember those who never returned home.

This year, Sept. 30 falls on a Saturday. For that reason, a community gathering will be held on Friday, Sept. 29, from 12 to 12:30pm in the Caf on the main floor of ECU.

Snacks and tea will be served, and ECU president Trish Kelly will attend to chat with community members. Attendees are encouraged to wear orange shirts, share words with colleagues and fellow students and take a moment to reflect on how we can each commit to continuing the necessary work of building a better future.

Additionally, the Pacific Song of the Ancestors totem pole and accompanying exhibition will be on view through the weekend, Sept. 30 and Oct. 1.

Please note, because the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is a statutory holiday, the school will be closed on Monday, Oct. 2.

A number of activities are happening around the city and province on — and leading up to — Sept. 30, including:

Sept. 8 - Oct. 26 | All My Relations art exhibition. Curated by Christine Mackenzie, this exhibition intends to uplift Indigenous and Métis artists of various backgrounds and celebrate different styles of Indigenous and Métis art in a variety of mediums. Place des Arts, Coquitlam.

Sept. 22 + 27 | Decolonization Tours at the Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery. Join the Belkin’s Public Programs staff for a Decolonization Tour to explore artworks by Indigenous artists. UBC, Vancouver.

Sept. 25 - 29 | Truth and Reconciliation Week 2023 Public Lunch and Learns. This year, the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation is offering a series of free workshops to facilitate learning for Canadians. Online.

Sept. 25 | Becoming Kin: Abolition, Borders and Indigenous Futures: Patty Krawec and Harsha Walia in Conversation. A conversation about unforgetting our histories of racist nationalism and forging relational, abolitionist futures. Massy Arts Society, Vancouver.

Sept. 27 - 29 | Bunk #7. Join six Indigenous boys from northern BC and their English supervisor in this true story of culture and resilience, told with heart, humour and love of land, sea and tribe. Written by Larry Guno, the late Nisga’a lawyer, playwright, MLA and uncle to ECU's Vice-Provost, Students, Marcia Guno. Shadbolt Centre for the Arts, Burnaby.

Sept. 27 | Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas: JAJ, A Haida Manga. Hear artist Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas present his latest graphic novel, which brings to life the tumultuous history of first contact between Europeans and Indigenous peoples and the early colonization by the Europeans of the northern West Coast. Vancouver Public Library Central Branch, Vancouver.

Sept. 27 | Rhythms of Resilience: Vibrations of Hope and Healing. An extraordinary evening of music, song and dance in honour of National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Vancouver Japanese Language School and Japanese Hall National Historic Site, Vancouver.

Step. 28 | Folil Trafün (Joining Roots) Festival. A showcase of Indigenous and Afro-diaspora films from Latin America (with English subtitles), followed by dialogues to deepen understanding of the films and their relationship with local realities. Robson Square, Vancouver.

Sept. 29 | National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Surrey. Teachings, drumming, dancers, story sharing, bannock, tea and coffee. Holland Park, Surrey.

Sept. 30 | Orange T-Shirt Day at Trout Lake. Join Nisga'a Ts'amiks Vancouver Society to honour the lost children and survivors from the Indian Residential Schooling system on the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation Day. John Hendry Park, Trout Lake Community Centre, Vancouver.

Sept. 30 | Intergenerational March to commemorate Orange Shirt Day. The march will include educational activities to allow younger participants to connect with the original inhabitants of the land and plant a seed to continue these conversations about a difficult era in Canadian history at home. Starts at the Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre Canada in UBC, Vancouver.

Sept. 30 | National Day for Truth and Reconciliation at the SLCC. Join the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre to experience and connect with immersive programming and storytelling of Skwxwú7mesh and Líl̓wat7úl – the living culture of the original people of the shared territory where Whistler resides. Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre, Whistler.

Sept. 30 | National Day for Truth and Reconciliation Teaching Pow Wow: Voices of our Children. Host drum by StarChild, dancing by Wild Moccasin Dancers, marketplace with Indigenous vendors, and food and drinks from food trucks and Eats concession. Westminster Pier Park, New Westminster.

Sept. 30 | National Day for Truth and Reconciliation at MONOVA. Engage and learn in hands-on activities, designed to inspire reflection and meaningful dialogue for guests of all ages. Museum and Archives of North Vancouver, North Vancouver.

Sept. 30 | Truth and Reconciliation Day: Workshop with Shaina Stephens. The Museum of Vancouver invites you to make your own orange shirt in a workshop with artist Shaina Stephens, who will lead an open conversation about all aspects of residential schools while supporting you to make your shirt using stencils, paint, and more. Museum of Vancouver, Vancouver.

Sept. 30 | All My Relations: National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Artist and curator Christine Mackenzie shares her unique art perspective around the importance of the cedar bough through a drawing and painting activity. Place des Arts, Coquitlam.

The ECU Library is assembling a selection of books related to Truth and Reconciliation in the Library’s Reading Room, located to the left of the top of the stairs.

You can also access the ECU Library’s Indigenous Resources Research Guide online at any time.

Visit the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation website to access a wide range of free resources related to topics including the history of residential schools, education, research and community events.

Read the reports by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.

Learn about the origins of Orange Shirt Day. Watch a talk on YouTube by Phyllis Webstad, sharing her memories and experiences from residential school.

Visit The Catholic Church and the Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement online exhibition, hosted by the UBC Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre.

Learn more about whose territory you are on, and what language is spoken by that Nation. The First Peoples’ Cultural Council has an interactive map to help you learn more about the 204 First Nations in BC, which has the most linguistic diversity of any region in Canada.

The Whose Land interactive map gives further insight into the traditional territories and Indigenous communities whose land you occupy, as well as where residential schools were located in Canada.

Explore The Witness Blanket interactive website by Indigenous artist and Master Carver Carey Newman. The Witness Blanket contains items reclaimed from residential schools, churches, government buildings and traditional and cultural structures across Canada. Each item has a voice and a story as told by survivors who share their experiences with residential schools.

For ECU students, confidential trauma-informed counselling services are available to you for free.

For ECU staff and faculty, employee and family assistance services are available online at workhealthlife.com or by phone at 1.844.880.9142 (TTY 1.877.338.0275). These services are free and confidential.

The Aboriginal Gathering Place at Emily Carr University is open to Indigenous community members daily, Monday through Friday.

Indigenous people in BC can call the Aboriginal Crisis Line at 1.800.588.8717 to access around-the-clock support for children, youth, adults or Elders.

The Hope for Wellness line provides culturally competent counselling for Indigenous people across the country at any time, and can be reached toll free at 1.855.242.3310. Services are available in Cree, Ojibway and Inuktitut upon request.

Support is available via The Indian Residential School Survivors Society’s 24/7 crisis line at 1.800.721-0066. Visit the IRSSS online for access to a range of additional supports including trauma-informed counselling, youth justice support, cultural support and LGBTQI+ support.

The KUU-US Crisis Line Society is an Indigenous, BC-wide service offering 24/7 support for adults at 250.723.4050, youth at 250.723.2040, or toll-free anytime at 1.800.588.8717.

A list of further resources and community supports is available online, including 24-hour crisis supports, distress supports and free/reduced-cost counselling.