Truth and Reconciliation

Further your understanding by learning from these resources.

Group of people participating in the Kairos Blanket Exercise.

British Columbia

Indigenous Neighbors
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In June 2021, the Government of Canada passed Bill C-5 to name September 30 as a federal statutory day. It is observed as the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. This directly responds to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Call to Action #80. Action #80 calls upon the federal government, in collaboration with Indigenous Peoples, “to establish, as a statutory holiday, a National Day for Truth and Reconciliation to honour survivors, their families and communities, and ensure that public commemoration of the history and legacy of residential schools remains a vital component of the reconciliation process.”


This year is the tenth anniversary of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (TRC) 94 Calls to Action. The recommendations made in this report were meant to address the harmful impacts of residential schools in Canada.


The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) took place from 2008-2015 to help Canadians learn about the history and ongoing effects of residential schools. Its goal was to support healing and encourage all Canadians—Indigenous and non-Indigenous—to work together towards understanding and reconciliation.


Prior to the end of the TRC process, September 30 was recognized as Orange Shirt Day in British Columbia. A grassroots campaign founded by Phyllis Webstad in 2013 established Orange Shirt Day. It grew out of her own experiences and the experiences of other residential school survivors who attended St. Joseph’s Mission residential school near Williams Lake, British Columbia. It was a day to honour the healing journeys of residential school survivors and their families and a time to engage in meaningful discussions about the history and legacy of the residential school system.


Orange Shirts have become the symbol for recognizing the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. We encourage you to create time and space on September 30 and throughout the year, to reflect on the ways we can all participate in reconciliation.

Learning Resources

Below are some suggested resources to assist you in this journey. This list is not meant to be exhaustive, but it will help you get started. We are also providing a list of some events happening in the Lower Mainland area of BC.

  • Listen to the stories of residential school Survivors from A Day to Listen

  • To MCC Canada's podcast, Honouring treaties with peacebuilding with Adrian Jacobs, Ganosono of the Turtle Clan, Cayuga Nation of the Six Nations Haudenosaunee Confederacy.

  • To the song “We Won’t Forget You” by N’we Jinan Artists (Sk’elep School of Excellence in Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc, Kamloops): here.

  • Four Seasons of Reconciliation 
    This free online course presented by BDC provides foundational knowledge on the relationship between Canada, Indigenous Peoples, and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.

  • Indigenous Awareness
    This free BCIT course promotes an increased understanding of Indigenous people and their place and space in Canada, past and present.

  • Reconciliation through Indigenous Education
    This 6-week Massive Open Online Course from UBC will help you envision how Indigenous histories, perspectives, worldviews, and approaches to learning can be made part of our everyday experiences in ways that are thoughtful and respectful.

  • Indigenous Canada
    Indigenous Canada is a 12-lesson Massive Open Online Course from the University of Alberta that explores the different histories and contemporary perspectives of Indigenous peoples living in Canada.

2025 Events in BC

Get in touch with our team

Contact Bridget Findlay, MCC BC Indigenous Neighbours Program Coordinator at 604-850-6639 or by email at bridgetfindlay@mccbc.ca