By Jeremy Davis
In November 2023, the Province of Manitoba established the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation as a provincial statutory holiday to be marked annually on September 30 for Manitobans to reflect on the history, legacy and impact of the residential school system. This followed the Government of Canada’s legislation to mark September 30 as a federal statutory holiday which received Royal Assent in June 2021. The inaugural National Day for Truth and Reconciliation was marked and honoured on September 30, 2021.
The establishment of September 30 as provincial and federal statutory holidays responds to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Call to Action Number 80, which states:
“We call upon the federal government, in collaboration with Aboriginal 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.”
The date was chosen because September 30 was historically around the time of year when children began attending residential schools.
The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is also known as Orange Shirt Day which was first recognized in 2013 by the Orange Shirt Society, the founding organization. According to the Orange Shirt Society’s website at OrangeShirtDay.org, the commemoration of Orange Shirt Day recognizes residential school survivors, their families and the journey of healing. The history of the orange shirt comes from former student Phyllis Webstad who wore a shiny new orange shirt bought by her grandmother which was taken from her as a six-year-old girl on her first day of a residential school. While it symbolizes the stripping away of culture and freedom experienced by residential school students, it has also become a symbol of hope, reconciliation and a commitment to a better future. At its heart, Orange Shirt Day recognizes the concept that “Every Child Matters”.
Last year, the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) provided some ways residents can commemorate the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation:
• Wear an orange shirt and/or display an ‘Every Child Matters’ sign at home on September 30
• Participate in a public event
• Make a donation to the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation and the Residential School Survivors Society
• Review the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action and consider how you could make an impact.
• Tune into APTN’s Indigenous programming on September 30
Now in its fifth year, the number of events and activities across Canada to recognize and reflect on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation continue to grow. In 2024, there were many public events and activities in Winnipeg open for residents to attend to learn more about the impact of residential schools, the symbolism in wearing an orange shirt, and how to continue on the path of reconciliation. Readers looking for events and programming available to commemorate the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in 2025 are encouraged to check websites like Winnipeg Economic Development & Tourism (www.winnipegtourism.com/) and APTN (www.aptnnews.ca).
In the words of the Honourable Murray Sinclair, C.C., M.S.C. “We have to learn how to talk to, and about, each other, with greater respect than has been the case in the past. We may not achieve reconciliation within my lifetime, or within the lifetime of my children, but we will be able to achieve it if we all commit to working towards it properly. Part of that commitment is that every year [on September 30] we will stand up together and we will say never again. What we did in this country was wrong, and we will never allow that to happen again.”
Sinclair served as the chair of the Indian Residential Schools Truth and Reconciliation Commission which documented the history of residential schools in Canada and issued 94 Calls to Action. It was with great honour that the Winnipeg Regional Real Estate Board inducted Sinclair into its Citizens Hall of Fame in 2022. Last month, Dr. Catherine L. Cook was honoured with induction into the Winnipeg Regional Real Estate Board’s Citizens Hall of Fame in recognition of her significant contributions and leadership in Indigenous health, healing and reconciliation in Winnipeg and across Manitoba for over four decades. Bronze busts in their honour sit at the Citizens Hall of Fame site at Assiniboine Park.
For more information about Orange Shirt Day, please visit www.OrangeShirtDay.org
For more information about the inductions of the Honourable Murray Sinclair and Dr. Catherine L. Cook into the Winnipeg Regional Real Estate Board’s Citizens Hall of Fame, or to nominate a deserving citizen for the 2026 Citizens Hall of Fame induction by October 30, 2025, please visit www.winnipegregionalrealestateboard.ca/community/citizens-hall-of-fame
Jeremy Davis is the Winnipeg Regional Real Estate Board’s Director of External Relations & Market Intelligence.