Each year, September 30th marks the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
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. This federal statutory holiday was created through legislative amendments made by Parliament.
Irish in BC are honoured to recognise this day and to be able to work within the ancestral and traditional territory of the Coast Salish nations: Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh nations.
Please see below for additional resources and events to help you recognise the day, and to promote truth and reconciliation throughout the year.
Attend Virtual or In-Person Events across BC – Sept 22nd – Sept 30th
- National Day for Truth and Reconciliation – List of Events in Metro Vancouver 2025
- Rhythms of Resilience: Voices of Warrior Women in Vancouver, September 25, 2025
- Traditional Pow Wow in Kamloops, September 27-28, 2025
- Oak Bay Ceremony, September 28, 2025
- ReconciliACTION event in Maple Ridge, September 28, 2025
- Orange Shirt Day & Visit the snc?wips… – Snc?wips Heritage Museum & Gift Store & National Truth & Reconciliation Day in Kelowna, September 30, 2025
- Our Time Together – Stetís ímexstowx in Abbotsford, September 30, 2025
- South Island Powwow — Songhees Nation in Victoria, September 30, 2025
- National Day for Truth & Reconciliation Event – Lheidli T’enneh | First Nation in Prince George, September 30, 2025
- Upcoming Truth and Reconciliation Events in Prince Rupert, September 30, 2025
- The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (University of Manitoba) is hosting a week of daily webinars open to the public. The sessions will provide an immersive experience to UN-learn the myths of colonial history in Canada. Expert matter speakers will present for 40-50 minutes at 10:00 am PST, followed by a Q&A between the moderator and guest(s). The topics are:
- Sept. 24: The Ongoing Legacy of the Residential School System
- Sept. 25: Reflecting on the TRC’s Calls to Action 10 Years Later
- Sept. 26: Corporate Conversations on Reconciliation
- Sept. 27: Confronting Residential School Denialism
- Link to register: https://trw-svr.nctr.ca/lunch-and-learns/
Find other events near you by following hashtag #NDTR on social media!
Orange Shirt Day
Both the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day take place on September 30th. Orange Shirt Day is an Indigenous-led grassroots commemorative day intended to raise awareness of the individual, family and community inter-generational impacts of residential schools, and to promote the concept of “Every Child Matters”.
The Survivors’ Flag is an expression of remembrance, meant to honour residential school Survivors and all the lives and communities impacted by the residential school system in Canada. Each element depicted on the flag was carefully selected by Survivors from across Canada, who were consulted in the flag’s creation. For more information, visit: https://nctr.ca/exhibits/survivors-flag/
- Every Child Matters: Truth – Act One
- First Nations Experiences | Ep 1 | Residential Schools
- Métis Experiences | Ep 2 | Residential Schools
- Inuit Experiences | Ep 3 | Residential Schools
- Stolen Children | Residential School survivors speak out
- Residential school survivor Dennis Saddleman shares poem about his experience
- Intergenerational Trauma: Residential Schools
- New Heritage Minute explores dark history of residential schools
- Lillian Elias: A Residential School Survivor’s Story
- “The Stranger”
- Why so many Indigenous children died at residential schools in Canada
- Indigenous Peoples in the Canadian Residential Schools: RISE
- Indigenous survivor describes her ‘haunting experience’ of boarding school abuse
Make a Donation or Volunteer
