September 30, 2026: 7 Acts for Truth and Reconciliation

Every year, as September 30 approaches, the same question comes up: what can we actually do to take part in the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation?

Wearing an orange shirt is a visible gesture. Sharing an image on social media can help raise awareness. But this day can also become something deeper: a moment to listen to a story we did not know, attend a gathering, start a conversation with our children or simply take the time to understand.

There is no need to do something spectacular. What matters is not allowing the day to become a symbol without meaning.

Here are practical ways to respectfully mark September 30, 2026.

Why does September 30 exist?

The word “reconciliation” is often what people remember most about September 30. Yet the name of this day begins with another word: truth. To go further in understanding what this process truly means, you can also read our article about the deeper meaning of reconciliation between peoples.

The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation was established in 2021 following Call to Action 80 of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, which called for a national day to publicly commemorate the history and legacy of residential schools.

September 30 is also Orange Shirt Day. The two commemorations now take place on the same day, although the story behind Orange Shirt Day began several years before the national day was established.

Learn more about the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

1. Wear orange, but understand the story behind what you are wearing

The orange shirt did not become a symbol by chance.

In 1973, Phyllis Webstad was six years old when she arrived at St. Joseph Mission Residential School in British Columbia. Her grandmother had bought her a brand-new orange shirt for her first day.

When she arrived at the residential school, her clothes were taken away from her. Her orange shirt was removed and she never got it back.

Decades later, Phyllis Webstad’s story became the foundation of Orange Shirt Day. The shirt is now associated with the message “Every Child Matters” and with the need to recognize what happened to children who were sent to residential schools.

So tomorrow, yes, we can wear orange. But we can also take five minutes to learn about the person behind the symbol and share her story with someone else.

Read Phyllis Webstad’s story on the Orange Shirt Society website.

2. Listen to a voice instead of speaking for someone else

One of the simplest things we can do on September 30 is also one of the most important: listen.

Many Survivors have chosen to share their testimony publicly. Indigenous organizations and the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation also preserve archives, testimonies and educational resources.

Choose one. Watch an interview. Read a testimony. Listen to a conference from beginning to end.

There is no need to ask an Indigenous person in your life to share a personal or painful experience so that you can learn. Many people have already chosen what they want to share publicly. We can begin by listening to those voices.

3. Attend an event organized by an Indigenous community

Across the country, communities and organizations hold walks, ceremonies, gatherings, cultural activities and commemorative events that are open to the public.

Taking part in one of these events allows us to go beyond a social media post. We can be present, listen and discover what organizers themselves have chosen to share.

Wherever you attend a gathering, follow the directions of the people welcoming you. An event being open to the public does not automatically mean that every ceremony, every person or every moment can be photographed or recorded.

4. Watch the national commemorative gathering

You do not need to have an event nearby to take part in a moment of commemoration.

On September 30, 2026 at 3 p.m. Eastern Time, APTN and the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation will present the national commemorative gathering “Remembering the Children”, live from Parliament Hill.

The approximately 90-minute broadcast will feature Survivors as well as Indigenous artists. It will be broadcast on APTN and several major television and radio networks.

For someone who does not know where to begin tomorrow, setting aside time for this gathering is already a very concrete action.

View official information about the national commemoration.

5. Read some of the 94 Calls to Action

We often hear about the 94 Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, but how many of us have actually taken the time to read them?

They address areas including child welfare, education, languages and cultures, health, justice, media, sports, business and training.

You do not need to read all of them tomorrow.

Simply choose an area that relates to your own life. If you work in education, begin with the Calls to Action related to education. If you are a parent, explore those concerning children and families. If you run a business, look at those that relate to the business world.

Truth and reconciliation become much more concrete when we understand what was actually asked for and why.

Read the Calls to Action through the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation.

6. Talk about it with children without hiding the history

Children notice orange shirts. They see posts online. They hear about the day at school. And often, they ask a very simple question: “Why?”

We can answer them with words suited to their age without erasing what happened.

For younger children, Phyllis Webstad’s story provides a very concrete starting point: a six-year-old girl arrives at school wearing a shirt her grandmother gave her, and adults take it away. From there, we can talk about children’s right to be respected, to live their culture, to speak their language and to remain surrounded by their family.

With older children, we can go deeper into the history of residential schools, their effects on families and communities, and the reasons this history continues to be commemorated today.

The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation also provides educational resources for students and teachers.

7. Make space for Indigenous voices

September 30 can also be an opportunity to look at who we read, who we listen to and whose stories receive our attention.

We can borrow a book by an Indigenous author. Visit a museum or cultural site operated by a community. Attend a conference. Discover an artwork. Listen to a podcast or documentary created by Indigenous people.

When sharing a story or publication, take the time to name the person or organization it came from and, whenever possible, direct readers back to the original source.

Visibility is more meaningful when it brings people back to the voices concerned rather than replacing them.

8. Do something that continues on October 1

This may be the most important action on this list.

September 30 lasts one day. Learning has no reason to stop at midnight.

Before the day ends, choose one thing to continue:

A book you will read. A conference you will listen to. A cultural site you want to visit. A question you want to learn more about. A Call to Action you want to better understand. An Indigenous voice you will continue to follow.

Not ten commitments. Just one, but one that you genuinely follow through on.

What is better to avoid on September 30

What if you only have 30 minutes tomorrow?

Keep it simple.

Read Phyllis Webstad’s story. Then take a few minutes to look through the Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. If your schedule allows, watch part of the national commemorative gathering at 3 p.m.

If you are in Lac-Saint-Jean, you can also travel to Mashteuiatsh and take part in the activities the community has chosen to open to the public.

It is not the number of activities completed in a single day that gives September 30 its meaning.

It is the willingness not to look away, to listen to what is being shared and to continue learning after the day is over.

Truth comes before reconciliation

The word “reconciliation” is often what people remember most about September 30. Yet the name of this day begins with another word: truth. To go further in understanding what this process truly means, you can also read our article about the deeper meaning of reconciliation between peoples.

We cannot fully understand the path toward reconciliation without knowing the history of residential schools, listening to those who lived through them and recognizing the consequences that have been carried through families and communities.

September 30 gives us a collective moment to stop and face this history.

We can wear orange. We can walk. We can listen. We can read. We can ask questions and accept that we may not yet know all the answers.

But above all, we can decide that when the next day comes, this history will not become invisible again.