Canada Marks Fifth National Day for Truth and Reconciliation with 340 Events and First PM Address

The fifth National Day for Truth and Reconciliation will unfold across Canada on Tuesday, September 30, 2025, as communities gather to honor survivors of the residential school system and remember those who never came home. For the first time as Prime Minister, Mark Carney will speak at the National Commemorative Gathering on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, while Governor General Mary Simon — the first Indigenous person to hold the office — attends her fifth consecutive observance. Canadian Heritage has funded 340 events nationwide, from quiet ceremonies to large-scale cultural gatherings, underscoring a national commitment that’s growing deeper, not just wider.

A Decade After the Final Report

It’s been ten years since the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada released its landmark report, detailing the systemic abuse, cultural erasure, and deaths of thousands of Indigenous children in federally funded residential schools. Action 80 of the 94 Calls to Action directly led to the creation of this day — a federal statutory holiday meant to force the country to pause, reflect, and act. But as The Honourable Murray Sinclair, former chair of the Commission and now Chancellor of Queen’s University, reminded the public: "Reconciliation is yours to achieve." It’s not a ceremony. It’s a daily responsibility.

That’s why this year’s events go beyond symbolism. In Toronto, hundreds will gather at Nathan Phillips Square for art, storytelling, and a lesson in Indigenous agriculture led by Pamela Chrisjohn. At the University of Toronto, the film Sugarcane — which exposes the intergenerational trauma of residential schools — will screen with content warnings for abuse and genocide, followed by a discussion with academic Maddie Frechette and community advisor Chiara Marchesano. The screening isn’t entertainment; it’s evidence.

Art, Memory, and the Power of Place

In British Columbia, the day is lived through land and memory. At Sneq'wa e'lun (Blue Heron House) in Duncan, a physical tour of murals and audio trails invites participants to walk the same paths once walked by children forced into assimilation. Meanwhile, at the Cowichan Performing Arts Centre, the performance Nutsa'maat Sqwalawun: One Heart, One Mind, One Voice, One Heart weaves together song, dance, and testimony across generations. This isn’t theater. It’s truth-telling as ceremony.

At the University of Toronto, multi-disciplinary artist Carey Newman (Hayalthkin’geme) will appear at a university-wide event, his carved wooden panels and films serving as bridges between pain and possibility. The University of Toronto Bookstore is selling Orange Shirt Day shirts — all proceeds going to Indigenous-led organizations. And in a quiet, powerful act, The Rev’d Paige Souter and Ramata Tarawally will lead a mindful walk through Victoria University’s Indigenous Healing Garden, where silence is as sacred as speech.

Who’s Still Being Left Behind?

Not everyone sees progress. NDP MP Lori Idlout, an Inuk woman and critic for Indigenous Affairs, has been blunt: "We’ve had ceremonies. We’ve had speeches. We haven’t had enough policy changes." She points to ongoing housing crises in First Nations communities, the lack of clean water in dozens of reserves, and the slow pace of implementing the TRC’s remaining Calls to Action. "Reconciliation isn’t a day. It’s a budget line. It’s a land return. It’s a child who can speak their language without fear."

Carole Walsh, a Toronto resident whose mother was taken from her family near Sudbury at age five, spoke at Nathan Phillips Square last year: "She wasn’t allowed to speak her language. She wasn’t allowed to even sing. She was forced to speak English. She’d been sexually abused when she got into the residential school." Her words aren’t history. They’re the lived reality of thousands of families still waiting for justice.

What Comes After September 30?

The day doesn’t end when the last song fades. At Queen’s University, a dedicated working group has been meeting since January to plan year-round initiatives — from curriculum reforms to Indigenous language courses. The University of Toronto is embedding reconciliation into its institutional policies, not just its events. Canadian Heritage has signaled that funding for 2026 and beyond will remain intact — but only if communities continue to demand accountability.

There’s a quiet truth here: the most powerful acts of reconciliation aren’t on Parliament Hill. They’re in classrooms where teachers choose to teach the unvarnished history. They’re in grocery stores that stock Indigenous-made products. They’re in the silence after someone shares a story they’ve never told before.

Mark Carney promised to "match remembrance with responsibility." The question isn’t whether he will. It’s whether the rest of us will.