Fifth Truth and Reconciliation Day Observed Nationwide

Canada observed its fifth National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on Sept. 30 with ceremonies, marches and public events from St. John’s to Calgary, Montreal, Toronto and Ottawa honoring children lost to residential schools. Survivors and descendants such as Sharon Edmunds and artist Carey Newman shared personal accounts of intergenerational trauma and urged listeners to learn, be held accountable and work for change. Large demonstrations—including Montreal’s Every Child Matters march—and university commemorations underscored that the legacy of residential schools, including abuse, deaths and ongoing discoveries of unmarked graves, continues to affect communities today. Advocates and organizations such as Na-Me-Res emphasized that systemic harms persist—Indigenous people are disproportionately represented among the homeless—and called for housing, mental-health and addiction supports as central to reconciliation. Officials noted some progress, including language-revival initiatives and efforts to teach more inclusive history in schools, but said only a fraction of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 Calls to Action have been completed and urged sustained, generational action.