Legislative Summary of Federal Bill to Create National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

 The Library of Parliament has published a Legislative Summary of Bill C-5: : An Act to amend the Bills of Exchange Act, the Interpretation Act and the Canada Labour Code (National Day for Truth and Reconciliation):

"Bill C-5 aims to respond to call to action number 80 of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) by creating a statutory holiday for federally regulated employees, to be known as the 'National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.' The proposed holiday will take place on 30 September each year to honour First Nations, Inuit and Métis residential school survivors and their families and communities. The holiday will also ensure commemoration of the history and legacy of residential schools" ...

"Between the late 1800s and the late 1990s, the federal government and several Christian churches operated a system of residential schools for Indigenous children. The schools were part of a federal policy designed to assimilate Indigenous people into Canadian society. Children were often taken forcibly from their homes to attend the schools, and some were forbidden from practising their cultures or speaking their languages. Some children also experienced emotional, physical and/or sexual abuse at the schools."

"The TRC was established in 2008 under the terms of the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement. Among other matters, it had a mandate to document the history and legacy of residential schools. The TRC's 2015 final report included 94 calls to action, covering areas such as health, education and justice. Specifically, call to action 80 called upon the federal government to work with Indigenous people to establish a National Day for Truth and Reconciliation as a statutory holiday."

It is possible to follow the progress of the bill through the Canadian Parliament on the LEGISinfo website.