Is Orange Shirt Day the Same as the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation?

Orange Shirt Day and National Day for Truth and Reconciliation are events that happen on the same day. As Phyllis Webstad stated in 2024 to IndigiNews “It’s not one or the other, it’s both”. Since 2013, the Orange Shirt Society, a not-for-profit organization located in Williams Lake B.C., has used Orange Shirt Day (September 30) as a day to recognize the ongoing harm that the residential school system has inflicted upon Indigenous communities. The date was chosen because it represents the time of the year that children were taken from their homes and forced into residential schools. The emblematic orange shirt itself comes from a story told by Phyllis (Jack) Webstad, remembering her first day at a residential school as a six-year-old, when a brand-new orange shirt given to her by her grandmother was taken from her by school administrators.

Donations to the Orange Shirt Society help Phyllis Webstad and the Orange Shirt Society raise awareness across Canada about the Indian Residential Schools and their continuing impacts on individuals, families and communities, and promote the message that “Every Child Matters”. Donations can be made online HERE.

With the legislative adoption of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in 2021, the government of Canada is responding to Truth and Reconciliation Call to Action No.80, calling 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.”.

Some Upcoming Events Commemorating the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

The Vancouver Public Library (VPL) is offering Indigenous Reads Book Club: Settler-to-Settler Conversations - Age 55+ beginning in September click HERE for more information
More from the VPL highlighting events, learning, supporting and healing click HERE
Trout Lake Community Centre Cedar Weaving information HERE
Grandview Park Truth and Reconciliation Day 2025 - Honouring the Past, Healing the Present, Inspiring the Future - Information HERE

Mental Health and Wellness Supports for Indigenous People

Former residential school students can call 1-866-925-4419 for emotional crisis referral services and information on other health supports from the Government of Canada.
Indigenous peoples across Canada can also go to The Hope for Wellness Help Line 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for counselling and crisis intervention. Call the toll-free Help Line at 1-855-242-3310 or connect to the online chat.
Indian Residential Schools Society (BC Based) - Lamathut 24/7 Crisis Line. IRSSS operates a 24-hour crisis line to provide urgent emotional support for Survivors, families, and Indigenous communities across British Columbia and beyond. 1-800-721-0066
First Nations Health Authority - The FNHA plans, designs, manages and funds the delivery of First Nations health programs across BC.