National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
Tuesday September 30, 2025

Every year on September 30, Canada observes the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (NDTR), a day established in response to Call to Action 80 from the Commission vérité et réconciliation. This day is dedicated to remembering the children who died in residential schools, honouring survivors, and recognizing the lasting impact these institutions had on families and communities. Public acknowledgment of this painful history is a crucial step in Canada’s reconciliation journey.

Also referred to as Orange Shirt Day, this statutory holiday was created to recognize and reflect on the atrocities and intergenerational trauma caused by the Indian residential school system. The symbol of the orange shirt was inspired by Phyllis Jack Webstad, who had her new orange shirt taken away on her first day at a residential school. Her story has become a powerful reminder of the systemic efforts to erase Indigenous identity through forced assimilation.

The path toward NDTR began decades earlier. In 1991, the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples (RCAP) was formed to examine the relationship between Indigenous peoples, the Canadian government, and broader society. Its final report, released in 1996, led to the government’s formal statement of reconciliation in 1998 and the creation of the Aboriginal Healing Foundation.

In 2008, then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued a formal apology for the residential school system on behalf of the federal Cabinet. This marked the launch of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, which released its final report in 2015. The report concluded that the residential school system constituted “cultural genocide,” having severed the transmission of Indigenous languages and cultural practices. It also detailed the long-term impacts: diminished educational and economic outcomes, along with enduring trauma from widespread abuse, effects that continue to be felt across generations.

Orange Shirt Day was first held on September 30, 2013, and in 2021, the first official NDTR was observed as a federal statutory holiday. The date was chosen because it aligns with the period when Indigenous children were historically taken from their homes to attend residential schools. It is also a fitting time to promote anti-racism and anti-bullying initiatives in schools, while encouraging unity among First Nations, educators, governments, and communities in support of reconciliation and a brighter future for all children.

NDTR is currently recognized as a statutory holiday for:

• Federal government workers and employees governed by the Canada Labour Code;
• Provincial employees in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick;
• All workers in British Columbia, Manitoba, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Prince Edward Island, and Yukon.

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