Truth & Reconciliation – Ten years Later 

Photo credit: Erika Jensen-Mann and Julie Kapuscinski, Canmore Festival 2025

Ten years have passed since the National Truth and Reconciliation Commission set forth its 94 Calls to Action, a decade in which survivors, Indigenous communities, and many allies have waited for meaningful change. This anniversary isn’t simply a milestone to mark, but a moment to both acknowledge what has been achieved and to feel keenly how much more still lies ahead. 

In July 2024, the National Council for Reconciliation was established, fulfilling Call to Action 53, by creating an Indigenous‑led body to monitor and push forward progress. The Supreme Court’s decision upholding federal child welfare legislation affirmed Indigenous jurisdiction over child and family services, which helps to advance the implementation of the Calls to Action. 

A significant step forward this year came with Canada’s first‐ever Indigenous Justice Strategy. The Strategy is more than policy. It carries the weight of thousands of voices, including First Nations, Inuit, and Métis; Elders, youth, people with disabilities; 2SLGBTQI+ community members; those calling for healing, for justice, for laws rooted in culture and respect. It is grounded in Indigenous ways of knowing, trauma‑aware approaches, and a firm belief that justice includes healing.  

These are essential strides. Still, even as we honour this progress, there is urgency in our hearts. There remains much more work to be done in this area. 

Each unmet Call to Action represents not just policy left undone, but communities still waiting, from children without culturally safe supports, to learners in underfunded schools and families searching for justice. This anniversary, survivors remind us that reconciliation is not an abstract goal, but a promise owed to children, families, and generations yet to come. It asks us not only to reflect on accomplishments, but to recommit to the work that is unfinished, to those who have waited longest, and to a future in which reconciliation is lived truthfully, fully, and with care. 

By way of supporting Call to Action 53,  and The Indigenous Justice Strategy the CRRF hosted part three of our Finding Common Ground national dialogue series titled Supporting First Nations-Led Policing. the event brought First Nations leaders and policy experts together to discuss, strategies, resources, and investments in First Nations-led policing and access to justice. 

We are looking forward to supporting several upcoming events centered on reconciliation, including Reconciliation Through Art, a three-day event that will feature art, storytelling and performances from local and Indigenous artists as well as the Woodland Cultural Centre official unveiling of the former Mohawk Institute Residential School, Canada’s first residential school, as an Interpretive Historic Site. 

As part of the next iteration of our Finding Common Ground series, the CRRF will also host a national conversation this November examining systemic obstacles in wildfire relief and how First Nations communities continue to face inadequate and delayed access to emergency aid, evacuation support, and shelter.  

Reconciliation is a continuing journey, and real, measurable progress must remain an urgent, non-negotiable priority. This National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, we recommit to urgent, measurable action, walking alongside survivors and communities with humility, determination, and care.