Carney marks 6th National Day for Truth and Reconciliation saying journey 'is far far from finished'

As Canadians mark the sixth National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Gov. Gen. Louise Arbour says it's important to face an "unsettling" past in order to build a better country.

'We cannot change the past, but we can choose how we move forward,' Louise Arbour says

Peter Zimonjic · CBC News

· Posted: Sep 30, 2026 9:46 AM EDT | Last Updated: 15 minutes ago

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As Canadians mark the sixth National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Gov. Gen. Louise Arbour says it's important to face an "unsettling" past in order to build a better country.

This is Arbour's first time observing the day as Governor General. She was sworn in this summer, replacing Mary Simon, the first Indigenous person to serve in the role.

"Many Canadians, myself included, did not grow up knowing this history. Facing it can be painful and unsettling, but understanding the truth is essential to building a more just future," Arbour said in a statement Wednesday. 

"We cannot change the past, but we can choose how we move forward."

Arbour said understanding Canada's historical truth begins with "empathy" for First Nations, Inuit and Métis.

"It continues through honest dialogue, ongoing learning and concrete action to address the inequities inherited from past wrongs. Together, we can build a country where these injustices are never repeated."

• Almost 40K residential school records will be destroyed. Not all survivors think they should be

Arbour took part in the re-raising of the Survivors' Flag on Parliament Hill in Ottawa and delivered remarks to honour residential school survivors.

Prime Minister Mark Carney will be in Edmonton to mark the occasion and is set to speak at a commemorative event. 

Children forced to leave families

Canada's residential schools operated from 1857 to 1996. Some 150,000 Indigenous children were forced to leave their families to attend the government or church-run institutions.

WATCH | Decades after death, residential school student buried on First Nation:

Decades after death, residential school student buried on First Nation

September 30, 2025|

Duration

2:04

Nearly 60 years after his death, residential school student Percy Onabigon’s remains have been brought from a burial site in Woodstock, Ont., and laid to rest in his home Long Lake #58 First Nation. His family fought for years to repatriate him and are calling for more support for others facing a similar burden.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission's (TRC) exhaustive, years-long study of residential schools revealed the devastating impact they had on Indigenous people. 

• Watch 7 powerful Indigenous stories on CBC Gem for National Day of Truth and Reconciliation

The institutions were designed to assimilate Indigenous children into the dominant Euro-Canadian culture, causing deep intergenerational trauma and harm, the TRC found. They were characterized by widespread abuse and neglect, and led to as many as 6,000 deaths, mostly from malnutrition or disease.

Eleven years after the publication of the TRC report, only 15 of its 94 calls to action have been put into force.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Peter Zimonjic is a senior writer for CBC News who reports for digital, radio and television. He has worked as a reporter and columnist in London, England, for the Telegraph, Times and Daily Mail, and in Canada for the Ottawa Citizen, Torstar and Sun Media. He is the author of Into The Darkness: An Account of 7/7, published by Vintage.