Every year on September 30, people across Canada observe the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, a day to honour the children who never returned home from residential schools, the Survivors, their families, and their communities.
The day is also observed as Orange Shirt Day, carrying the message “Every Child Matters.”
But remembrance is only part of its meaning. September 30 also asks us to listen, learn, confront difficult histories, and consider what reconciliation requires from institutions, communities, and each of us.
Understanding the truth
For more than a century, residential schools operated as part of colonial policies aimed at assimilating Indigenous children. First Nations, Inuit and Métis children were separated from their families, communities, languages and cultures. Many experienced neglect and abuse, and many children never returned home.
The consequences did not end when the schools closed. Their impacts continue across generations, affecting families and communities and contributing to inequalities that remain present today.
Recognizing this history is therefore not simply about looking into Canada’s past. It is also about understanding the relationship between historical injustice and contemporary realities.
From truth to reconciliation
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada documented the experiences of Survivors and issued 94 Calls to Action in 2015. These Calls to Action invite governments, institutions, organizations and individuals to take concrete steps to address the legacy of residential schools and advance reconciliation.
The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation itself emerged from Call to Action 80, which called for a statutory day to honour Survivors, their families and communities and to ensure that the history and legacy of residential schools remain part of public remembrance.
This connection is important because it reminds us that reconciliation cannot be reduced to a symbolic gesture or a single day of reflection.
It is an ongoing process that requires truth, accountability and action.
Listening matters
At Nexum Human Rights, we believe that meaningful change begins by creating space for voices and experiences that have historically been marginalized or silenced.
On September 30, that means listening first.
It means learning from Indigenous Peoples and Indigenous-led organizations, engaging with the testimonies of Survivors with respect, and recognizing the diversity of First Nations, Inuit and Métis histories, cultures and experiences.
It also means approaching reconciliation with humility. For non-Indigenous people and organizations, our role is not to speak on behalf of Indigenous communities, but to listen, learn and consider how our own actions and institutions can contribute to change.
Reconciliation is a human rights responsibility
Truth and reconciliation are deeply connected to human rights.
The residential school system demonstrates what can happen when children’s rights, cultural identity, family connections, language and dignity are systematically denied.
Remembering this history therefore carries a responsibility: to recognize injustice, but also to work toward societies in which those violations are not repeated.
Education is part of that work. So is supporting Indigenous leadership, learning about the Calls to Action, challenging discrimination and creating spaces where Indigenous voices, knowledge and experiences are respected.
Reconciliation is not something that belongs only to governments or institutions. Communities, organizations and individuals also have a role to play.
Beyond September 30
Wearing orange can be a meaningful act of remembrance and solidarity. But the work cannot end when September 30 does.
We can continue learning about the history and present realities of Indigenous Peoples. We can read and revisit the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action. We can support Indigenous-led organizations, artists, educators and initiatives. We can listen to Survivors and Indigenous communities. And we can examine how our workplaces, organizations and communities can contribute to reconciliation throughout the year.
At Nexum Human Rights, we understand human rights as something that must be built collectively — through knowledge, dialogue, participation and action.
Today, we remember the children who never returned home.
We honour Survivors, their families and their communities.
We listen.
And we recognize that truth is not the end of reconciliation. It is where reconciliation begins.
Every Child Matters.