September 30 is the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation in Canada. The day coincides with Orange Shirt Day, a grassroots commemoration marked by the wearing of Orange Shirts for children forced to leave their families and attend residential schools.  

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (or TRC) was active from 2008 to 2015 and documented the stories of survivors, families, and communities affected by residential schools. Established to assimilate Indigenous children into euro-Canadian culture and remove Indigenous identity, many well documented abuses took place. The report released at the conclusion of the TRC included 94 calls to action suggested by those most impacted in an effort to repair the harms caused by residential schools.