Today is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, also known as Orange Shirt Day. It’s a time to honour the Survivors of residential schools and remember the children who never came home.

Residential schools are not just part of Canada’s past. They are a painful truth that Indigenous communities have carried for generations. More than 150,000 First Nations, Inuit, and Métis children were taken from their families, languages, and cultures. Many were never seen again. Thousands of Survivors came forward to share their stories so that no one could claim ignorance.

Reconciliation isn’t about one day. It’s about how we move forward every day, through listening, learning, and taking meaningful action.

That includes supporting the search for unmarked graves, following through on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action, and implementing the Calls for Justice for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. It means recognizing Indigenous rights and leadership in housing, health care, education, and economic opportunity.

Reconciliation means change, and that change belongs to all of us.

Whether you’re attending a local event, reading the stories of Survivors, or taking quiet time to reflect, we invite you to engage with this day with purpose.

The work of truth and reconciliation will take generations. What matters is that we take part, and keep going.