More important now than ever: 2026 National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

September 30, 2026, will mark the sixth annual National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (NDTR) in Canada.

Since its inception, this day has honoured the survivors of residential schools, as well as remember those whose lives were lost or forever impacted by the horrific legacy of the Indian Residential School System.

Today, it is more important than ever before to remember the role we all play as a country, as social conscious organizations, and as people about not only advancing reconciliation with Indigenous peoples but to stand up as a community against bad actors who want to destroy these efforts.

We have seen some incredibly vile attempts to push (and even profit off) residential school denialism, make false claims over issues like Indigenous land ownership, or purposely stoke racism.

Working towards advancing reconciliation means we need to push back against these bad actors, and we need to show up and listen to Indigenous voices.

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is a federal statutory holiday as well as a statutory holiday in BC, Manitoba, Yukon, Prince Edward Island, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut, and for provincial employees of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.

We encourage you to use this day to reflect and learn about the ways that all of us can come together to support and advance truth and reconciliation. Some of the things you can do include:

• Participating in free virtual programs put on by the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation from September 21 to 25
• Learning about the history of Orange Shirt Day
• Attend a National Day for Truth and Reconciliation event happening in your community (see your local municipality’s website for more events)
• Support organizations like the Indian Residential School Survivors Society

MoveUP post-secondary application support program for Indigenous members

Our union is committed to the ongoing process of reconciliation. As part of that commitment, we continue to seek ways to influence positive and meaningful change to break down societal barriers that exist for our members who identify as Indigenous.

Actions are just as important as words. At a previous MoveUP Convention, our delegates committed to acting by passing a resolution to create an Indigenous Peoples Fund.

MoveUP is proud to announce a new program, from our Indigenous Peoples Fund, to help support MoveUP members who self-identify as Indigenous, as well as their immediate family who self-identify as Indigenous, offset the cost of applying to public post-secondary education.

The program will provide up to $300 per MoveUP member to reimburse the cost of application fees for themselves or their immediate family towards a Canadian public post-secondary institution or public trades training program.

Click here to learn more about the program and to apply for funding.

In solidarity,

Annette Toth, President
Brenda Chu, Secretary-Treasurer
Rysa Kronebusch, Vice-President, Utilities
Brian Martens, Interim Vice-President, ICBC
Christy Slusarenko, Vice-President, Combined Units