National Day for Truth and Reconciliation 2026

Opportunities & Events
Written By Ryan Valley, MBA, MET

For non-Indigenous men and boys, September 30 is an invitation to listen to survivors of residential schools, Indigenous communities, learn about the history and impact of residential schools, and take ongoing action for reconciliation.

Content note: This article discusses residential schools and their ongoing impacts. Support information is included at the end or get help if you would like to speak with someone.

On Wednesday, September 30, people across Canada will mark the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. The day honours the children who never returned home from residential schools, Survivors, and the families and communities that continue to live with the effects of that system.

September 30 is also Orange Shirt Day. The movement grew from residential school Survivor Phyllis Webstad’s account of having her new orange shirt taken from her on her first day at residential school. What began with one story has become a national invitation to remember, learn, and affirm that every child deserves dignity, safety, culture, family, and belonging.

The day is not a celebration or a finish line, but a space for acknowledging trauma and taking slow steps in community to be present with uncomfortable truths, to follow Indigenous leadership, and to consider what responsibility looks like in our own relationships, workplaces, teams, homes, and communities.

A responsibility grounded in relationships

At Men &, we often talk about dignity, accountability, healthier relationships, and taking a next useful step. On September 30, those ideas begin with listening. Reconciliation cannot be reduced to good intentions or a single public gesture. It requires truth about the policies and institutions that separated First Nations, Inuit, and Métis children from their families, languages, cultures, and communities, and about the harms that continue across generations.

For me as a settler, listening also means resisting the urge to explain, defend, or move too quickly toward comfort. Instead it starts with being present and noticing. We might notice where we have inherited silence or incomplete histories. We might ask what we were taught, what was left out, and whose voices we’ve treated as credible and which have been ignored. We can support Indigenous led efforts, without making Indigenous people responsible for guiding every step of our learning.

The day can bring grief, anger, pride, cultural strength, connection, or a need for privacy. Respect includes leaving room for any of the possible responses that come with trauma, rather than bringing assumptions, expectations, or entitlement about what it should be.

Five ways to show up with care

Listen and learn. Listen to Survivor stories, Indigenous-led reporting, books, films, podcasts, or public programming. Let the people whose lives and communities are directly connected to this history set the terms of the learning.

Learn the history where you live. Find out which residential schools operated in your region and learn about the Nations, treaties, lands, and Indigenous organizations around you today. Use established public resources rather than placing the burden on an Indigenous colleague, friend, or neighbour.

Attend respectfully. Join an Indigenous-led walk, ceremony, screening, or gathering when the organizer welcomes public participation. Read the event guidance, follow cultural protocols, and remember that attendance is one act of learning, not proof that reconciliation is complete.

Bring friends, family, and colleagues into the conversation. Share a resource at home, at work, in a team, or with friends. Interrupt denial and dismissive comments. Make room for questions while staying anchored in the testimony of Survivors and the documented history of residential schools.

Commit to ongoing action. Read the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action and identify one that connects to your role or organization. Better yet, come up with something meaningful to you and your local community. Support Indigenous-led education, cultural work, services, and community initiatives. Put a date in your calendar to follow up on what you learn.

Carry a commitment forward

Wearing orange can be a visible act of remembrance and solidarity. Its meaning is strongest when it is connected to learning, humility, and sustained action. If you buy an orange shirt, the Orange Shirt Society recommends choosing official or licensed merchandise that supports its work and protects the story behind the movement.

This September 30, make time to listen. Choose one action for the day and another for the months that follow. Reconciliation is ongoing work, expressed not only in what we say, but in how we build trust, respond to truth, and take responsibility in the relationships and communities we are part of.

Here are some initiatives that we recommend checking out:

Opportunities to learn and participate

If you’re looking for a place to start or learn more, find a local event below:

Support

National Residential School Crisis Line: 1-866-925-4419, available 24 hours a day for Survivors and their families.

Hope for Wellness Help Line: 1-855-242-3310 or hopeforwellness.ca, available 24 hours a day to First Nations, Inuit, and Métis people across Canada.

Ryan Valley, MBA, MET

Ryan Valley is the Digital Platform and Campaigns Lead at Men &. As an educational communications, design, and technology specialist based in Canada, Ryan’s work focuses on helping NGOs and public health organizations to educate and engage audiences on issues related to masculinities, gender and sexual health, and violence prevention through digital tools, courses, and campaigns.

https://www.forgecentre.com
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