Statement on Truth & Reconciliation Day 2025
September 30th, 2025
The Central Executive Committee of the Popular Democracy Movement expresses its solidarity with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples who have and continue to face ongoing injustice and inequality as part of Canada's colonial legacy.
It is vital that 'reconciliation' be more than simply a word, but rather that it must be accompanied by real, fundamental changes in society. We therefore echo the just demands of Indigenous leaders who call on all levels of government to take action without further delay in implementing all 94 of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Calls to Action, first published a decade ago in 2015, as well as the 231 Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Calls for Justice published in 2019. The Government of Canada additionally endorsed the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) in 2016, and adopted the UNDRIP Act in 2021, which makes consistency with and adherence to UNDRIP a requirement of both domestic and international law.
At the same time, the National Day for Truth & Reconciliation marks an important opportunity for individuals to reflect, and to listen to the words and stories of survivors of Canada's residential school system, and of the many other acts of systemic and individual violence committed against Indigenous peoples. Individuals and progressive organisations must also take real measures to put pressure on governments to fulfil these obligations, which are long overdue, and which, without action, will continue to be a source of pain and injustice for Indigenous communities.
In conclusion, the PM reaffirms its unconditional solidarity with Indigenous peoples, its commitment to the equal rights of all nations as outlined in the United Nations Charter, and its insistence that justice for Indigenous peoples poses no contradiction with a more just, prosperous, and democratic society for all those living in Canada. On the contrary, it is a fundamental requirement.
Central Executive Committee
Popular Democracy Movement
