National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
Members encouraged to join in solidarity with Indigenous Peoples
September 30 is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. This day allows for learning and reflection on the brutality of colonial policies that continue to impact Indigenous members, their families and communities. The BC Nurses’ Union, in solidarity with Indigenous Peoples, honours the Survivors of residential schools and remembers the children who never came home.
The union’s reconciliation work is informed by the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and BC’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA). We reaffirm our commitment to advance reconciliation and our allyship through:
- Recognition that health-care workers and unions play an integral role in advancing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) 94 Calls to Action to address inequities, ensure cultural safety and increase Indigenous representation in the health workforce.
- Advocacy for Indigenous-specific provisions in collective agreements.
- Engagement with BCNU members with sustained education and dialogue about the history and legacy of residential schools.
- Collaboration with the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions (CFNU) on a clear workplan that meaningfully contributes to reconciliation. Learn more about what’s included in this workplan.
Today and every day, we act in solidarity with Indigenous Peoples to transform our health-care system by providing culturally safe, anti-racist, equitable and inclusive care.
Indigenous members and their families can reach out for support:
- The Hope for Wellness Helpline offers experienced and culturally competent counsellors by phone and online chat 24 hours a day: 1-855-242-3310.
- The Indian Residential School Survivors’ Society operates the Lamathut crisis line for urgent 2/47 emotional support for Survivors, families and Indigenous communities across BC: 1-800-721-0066.
- Indigenous members needing support can also access their employer’s employee assistance program (EAP) as well as BCNU’s psychological health and safety resources, including the NBA Supplemental Mental Health Benefit which provides financial support to cover counselling services.
Wear Orange at a Truth and Reconciliation Event in Your Community
On Sept. 30, members are encouraged to wear orange and attend a Truth and Reconciliation Day event in their community – visit your local city or town’s website to view its local events calendar.
Remembering the Children: National Day for Truth and Reconciliation 2025
Watch or listen to this commemorative gathering on Parliament Hill in Ottawa at 12 p.m. PDT on Monday, Sept. 30. It will be broadcast live on APTN, CBC and other partnering Canadian broadcasters and is an opportunity to honour residential school Survivors and pay tribute to the children who never made it home. It will encompass powerful reflections from esteemed Elders and Survivors as well as moving performances by First Nations, Inuit and Métis artists. Learn more about how to watch or listen to this live, 90-minute, multilingual special event.
Learning Resources
- BCCNM Indigenous Cultural Safety, Cultural Humility, and Anti-Racism
- Truth and Reconciliation Commission Reports
- Orange Shirt Society
The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation provides all of us, as treaty peoples, a chance to deliberately rethink the relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples, and to address the continuing impacts of colonialism. First known as Orange Shirt Day, the day was created in 2013 by Phyllis Jack Webstad as a tribute to the children compelled to attend residential schools. It brought awareness to forced assimilation by recounting the story of the teacher who took Phyllis’ new orange shirt on her first day at St. Joseph Mission Residential School near Williams Lake, BC.