June is National Indigenous Peoples’ Month and June 21 is National Indigenous Peoples’ Day. These are celebratory occasions to showcase Indigenous cultures, languages and histories.
Members can participate in events on and around June 21 in communities across Ontario. The government of Canada has created a list of events at (use the dropdown menu to filter for National Indigenous Peoples Day events): https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/campaigns/list-events.html#eventslist
Non-Indigenous members can also honour these occasions by reading the Truth and Reconciliation Committee’s reports, which were written to inform Canadians about Indian Residential Schools and their legacy. The reports also include 94 calls to action to repair the harm caused by residential schools.
National Indigenous Peoples' Day was established by the Government of Canada in 1996 in response to calls for such a day to be created by Indigenous leaders that began in 1982. June 21 was selected because of the significance of the Summer Solstice in Indigenous cultures.
