APTN, CBC/Radio-Canada and NCTR to host “Remembering the Children: National Day for Truth and Reconciliation” September 30 on Parliament Hill
TREATY 1 TERRITORY, WINNIPEG, Man., Sept. 11, 2025 — APTN, CBC/Radio-Canada and the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR) are once again partnering to produce Remembering the Children: National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, the annual national commemorative gathering.
Supported by Canadian Heritage, Remembering the Children will share the powerful truths of residential school Survivors and pay moving tribute to the children who never made it home.
Hosted by Earl Wood and Melissa Molen Dupuis, the multilingual commemorative event will encompass powerful reflections from Survivors Lucien Wabanonik, Charlotte Nolin, Richard Kistabish and Reepa Evic-Carleton. There will be moving performances by First Nations, Inuit and Métis artists including the Eagle River Drum Group, DeeDee Austin, Burnstick, Julian Taylor and Susan Aglukark.
The 90-minute live event will be presented in English, French and Plains Cree and will take place on Parliament Hill beginning at 3 p.m. ET. It will be available live on APTN, APTN Languages, aptnnews.ca, CBC TV, CBC News Network, CBC Gem, the CBC News streaming channel, cbcnews.ca, the CBC News app, the CBC News YouTube channel, ICI TÉLÉ, ICI TOU.TV, Radio-Canada.ca and Espaces autochtones, and made available to all Canadian broadcasters to ensure that audiences across the country can tune in and join on the collective journey towards reconciliation.
The public is invited to attend the commemorative gathering on Tuesday, September 30 at 3 p.m. ET on Parliament Hill. Attendees are encouraged to bring a pair of traditional shoes to place at the front of the stage in honour of all the Indigenous children who have gone missing. After the event, the footwear will be donated to charity.
For those who are unable to participate or watch on the day of, the broadcast will be available for streaming on APTN lumi on October 2.
Participating networks include:
- AMI-tv & AMI-télé
- APTN
- Blue Ant Media
- CBC
- Channel Zero
- CHEK-TV Victoria
- CityTV stations in Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver and Winnipeg
- CTV2
- CTV News Channel
- Fight Network
- Game+
- Game TV
- Hollywood Suite
- Knowledge
- OUTtv
- Radio-Canada
- TFO
- TV5/Unis TV
Radio partners include:
- CIHW-FM – 100.3 FM
- CKHC-FM – 96.9 FM Radio Humber
- CKRK-FM – K103.7 FM
- MBC Radio
- SiriusXM – The Indigiverse
- SiriusXM – Top of the Country
- TNI – 94.1 FM
- Tŝilhqot’in Radio – 104.5 FM
CBC Radio will also broadcast a special evening program hosted by Falen Johnson at 8 p.m./8:30 p.m. NT that will include highlights from the events earlier in the day as well as interviews from across the country. And the event will be rebroadcast on ICI RDI in the evening at 10 p.m. ET.
APTN broadcast times:
| CHANNEL | LANGUAGE | TIME |
| APTN | English | 3 p.m. ET |
| APTN | French | 7 p.m. ET |
| APTN Languages | Plains Cree | 3 p.m. ET |
| APTN Languages | Inuktitut | 4:30 p.m. ET |
| APTN Languages | Ojibway | 6:30 p.m. ET |
| APTN Languages | Innu-aimun | 8 p.m. ET |
APTN News will present a 30-minute pre-show live from Ottawa at 2:30 p.m. ET hosted by Creeson Agecoutay. Creeson will provide live updates from Parliament Hill, covering the event’s happenings on location. In Winnipeg, Dennis Ward will host in studio with a special guest.
Remembering the Children will be a key part of APTN’s programming day on September 30. The network will broadcast 24 hours of special programming to honour residential, day and boarding school Survivors, their families and their communities. The lineup will feature a range of educational and thought-provoking series and documentaries including the premieres of Spirit to Soar, The Good Canadian and Twice Colonized, along with Reconciliation and Me, WaaPaKe (Tomorrow), We Were Children and a special episode of Face to Face. For more programming details, visit APTN’s special NDTR feature.
“The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is a solemn occasion to honour Survivors of residential schools, their families, their communities and the children who never came back. It is a time to reflect on the tragic legacy of these institutions and the profound and lasting harm they have caused.
Remembering the Children: National Day for Truth and Reconciliation will bring people across the country together in remembrance, reflection and solidarity. Let us honour the truth, renew our collective responsibility to learn from the past, support healing and advance meaningful reconciliation—today and every day.”
– The Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture and Minister responsible for Official Languages
“Remembering the Children is an important moment of national reflection. It gives Canadians the opportunity to honour the children who never came home and listen to the truths shared by Survivors. These truths are a critical part of our shared understanding. As we continue to live with the legacy of residential schools, we are reminded that reconciliation is not a single event, it is a commitment to learning, listening and building a better future together.”
– Stephanie Scott, Executive Director, National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation
“CBC/Radio-Canada remains committed to reflecting the realities of First Nations, Inuit and Métis, and their respective histories. As the national public broadcaster, we have a responsibility to help Canadians better understand and remember these experiences. Programming on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, which we broadcast in partnership with the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation and APTN, is a vital part of that work.”
– Marie-Philippe Bouchard, President and CEO, CBC/Radio-Canada
“For over 25 years, APTN has been committed to sharing the voices and truths of Indigenous Peoples. Remembering the Children is more than a commemorative gathering, it is a space for Survivors to be heard, for stories to be honoured and for all Canadians to reflect and act. As part of our continued commitment, APTN will also broadcast a full day of special programming on September 30 to honour residential school Survivors, their families and their communities. Through the power of Indigenous storytelling and languages, we continue to walk together on the path toward truth, healing and reconciliation.”
– Monika Ille, CEO, APTN
About NDTR
NDTR: A Call to Action
The idea of a federally recognized holiday dedicated to reconciliation was originally proposed in 2015 by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) as part of their 94 Calls to Action. In Call to Action #80, the TRC called upon the federal government, in collaboration with Indigenous Peoples, to establish a statutory holiday “to honour Survivors, their families, and communities, and ensure that public commemoration of the history and legacy of residential schools remains a vital component of the reconciliation process.” NDTR is a day to reaffirm to Survivors and all those who have been affected by the residential school system, that they matter and they will never be forgotten.
The Significance of September 30
NDTR takes place annually on September 30. This date was chosen because it is the time of year when children were taken from their homes and forced to go to residential schools. The timing also presents an opportunity to set the stage for anti-racism and anti-bullying policies for the upcoming school year. It encourages Indigenous Peoples, local governments, schools and communities to come together and create a more equitable world for future generations. Since 2013, September 30 has been observed as Orange Shirt Day, a movement to recognize the colonial legacy of residential schools and commit to the ongoing process of reconciliation. Orange Shirt Day recalls the experience of residential school Survivor Phyllis Webstad, who at age six was stripped of her brand-new orange shirt on her first day attending the St. Joseph Mission Residential School near Williams Lake, B.C.
Residential Schools
Residential schools were government-sponsored Christian schools that were established to assimilate Indigenous children into Euro-Canadian culture. Although the first residential facilities were established in the early 1600s, the term usually refers to schools established after 1880, as this is when they began to receive funding from the federal government. Residential schools permanently disrupted lives and communities, creating intergenerational traumas that continue to impact Indigenous Peoples today. The last residential school closed in 1996.
About NCTR
The NCTR is a place of learning and dialogue where the truths of the residential school experience will be honoured and kept safe for future generations. The NCTR was created as part of the mandate of the TRC. The TRC was charged to listen to Survivors, their families, communities and others affected by the residential school system and educate Canadians about their experiences. The resulting collection of statements, documents and other materials now forms the sacred heart of the NCTR.
About CBC/Radio-Canada
CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada’s national public broadcaster. Through our mandate to inform, enlighten and entertain, we play a central role in strengthening Canadian culture. As Canada’s trusted news source, we offer a uniquely Canadian perspective on news, current affairs and world affairs. Our distinctively homegrown entertainment programming draws audiences from across the country. Deeply rooted in communities, CBC/Radio-Canada offers diverse content in English, French and eight Indigenous languages: Dëne Sųłıné, Dene Kǝdǝ́, Dene Zhatıé, Eastern Cree, Dinjii Zhuʼ Ginjik, Inuktitut, Inuvialuktun and Tłı̨chǫ. We also deliver content in Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Punjabi and Tagalog, as well as both official languages, through Radio Canada International (RCI). We are leading the transformation to meet the needs of Canadians in a digital world.
About APTN
APTN launched in 1999 as the first national Indigenous broadcaster in the world. Since then, the network has become a global leader in programming that celebrates the rich diversity of Indigenous Peoples at home and abroad. A respected charitable media company, APTN inspires audiences and shares authentic stories via three platforms: APTN (English and French channel), APTN Languages (Indigenous language channel) and APTN lumi (streaming service). APTN proudly features over 80% Canadian content on all three platforms.
Joëlle Saltel
Manager of Communications, APTN
(431) 557-9909
jsaltel@aptn.ca
Cali Timmins
Senior Consultant, Media Profile
(647) 206-5787
cali.timmins@mediaprofile.com
Emma Iannetta
Senior Specialist, Media Relations, CBC/Radio-Canada
emma.iannetta@cbc.ca