National Day for Truth and Reconciliation 2025: Message from Minister Alty — Transcript

Full transcript

1. 0:00September 30 marks the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
2. 0:05On this day,
3. 0:06we remember the children who never returned home from residential schools
4. 0:10We honour the Survivors who carry their stories forward,
5. 0:14and the families and communities
6. 0:15who continue to live with the intergenerational trauma.
7. 0:19The orange shirts we wear on this day are a symbol of remembrance.
8. 0:23They represent the children who were taken,
9. 0:26those we lost, the cultures that were denied,
10. 0:28and the strength of those who endured.
11. 0:31They remind us that every child matters
12. 0:33and that truths in our shared history must be acknowledged and never forgotten.
13. 0:39This year also marks the 10th anniversary
14. 0:41of the final report from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission
15. 0:44which gave us 94 Calls to Action.
16. 0:47To date, more than 85 percent of the Calls to Action
17. 0:50requiring the Federal Government’s leadership
18. 0:53are complete, implemented, or well underway.
19. 0:57But we know that Reconciliation goes far beyond the Calls to Action.
20. 1:01It is a shared and ongoing responsibility that that requires all of us to listen,
21. 1:05learn and take meaningful action to advance reconciliation.
22. 1:10We are at a hinge moment in our critical shared history.
23. 1:14This period calls us to listen deeply and act boldly.
24. 1:18It is our opportunity, and our shared responsibility, to seize this moment
25. 1:23to create a more just, more equitable future in partnership with Indigenous Peoples.
26. 1:28Together we can ensure that the truths we acknowledge today
27. 1:32and the spirit of reconciliation shape that better, brighter future.
28. 1:36A future in which reconciliation is not just a word, but a lived reality.
29. 1:42Thank you. Merci. Mahsi Cho.