Canada prepares for first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on September 30

To honour First Nations, Inuit, and Métis residential school survivors and their families, the Government of Canada has designated September 30 annually as National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. The new statutory holiday applies to all federally regulated public and private sectors, including airports and airlines, banks, federal crown corporations such as Canada Post, radio and television broadcasting; and telecommunications such as telephone and Internet services.

This new holiday applies to federally regulated employers exclusively. This means that the holiday does not apply to provincially regulated employers, such as retail, at this time.

At this point, retailers are not required to take any action, although many will recognize this period of Canada’s history and its lasting impact.