September 30 is National Day for Truth and Reconciliation... when we honour residential school Survivors, the lost children who never returned, and the harm done to Indigenous people. It is a direct response to Call to Action #80 of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and was chosen because it was the time of year when Indigenous children were removed from their families and forced to attend residential schools - where Canadian colonists aimed to destroy their culture.

The day is also known as Orange Shirt Day - after Phyllis Webstad's report of how her personal clothing, including an orange shirt, was taken from her on the first day of residential school and never returned. This has become a symbol of the forced assimilation of Indigenous children that the residential school system enforced. On September 30, wear an orange shirt to commemorate the experience of residential school Survivors and their families.

Watch this video to know what you can do to meaningfully mark this Day... 

• Find out about the 94 Calls to Action, the policy recommendations issued by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada in 2015 to address the legacy of the residential school system and advance the process of reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. Learn what progress is being made towards achieving them

• Unlearn what you thought you knew about Indigenous history in Canada... learn to be comfortable with being uncomfortable.. and learn what you can about Indigenous history and the residential school system. 

• Remember to keep learning all year - not just in September.

• Find an event near you - celebrate Indigenous culture - which residential schools set out to destroy.