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National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
On September 30, 2026, the Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC) recognizes the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, or Orange Shirt Day, an Indigenous-led day to honour those affected by the residential school system in Canada. This day remembers both the survivors of residential schools and the children who never returned home, as well as their families and communities. It is also a time to reflect on the intergenerational harm that Canadian residential schools have caused Indigenous people and to support the conviction that Every Child Matters.
The devastating legacy of residential schools endures across generations of Indigenous families and belongs to a larger history of systemic racism, discrimination, and injustice that Indigenous peoples have endured, and continue to face, in Canada.
The CCAC encourages members across its community to use today as a day of remembrance, reflection, action, and learning. The CCAC also continues to support Towards reconciliation: 10 Calls to Action to natural scientists working in Canada, a document that challenges the scientific community to recognize that reconciliation requires a new way of conducting natural science, one that includes and respects Indigenous communities, rights, and knowledge, leading to better scientific and community outcomes.