Today is Orange Shirt Day, an annual event when people wear orange shirts to honour the survivors of Canada's residential schools.
The day is especially meaningful this year with the release of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's summary report. The decades-long school system saw 150,000 First Nations, Metis and Inuit children taken from their homes and put into state-run schools. The report called the program "cultural genocide."
Orange Shirt Day's slogan is "Every Child Matters" and those who took part shared that message on social media, like these elders who visited the North Vancouver School District to mark the day.
Elders & cultural leaders honoring residential schools survivors @NVSD44 @SquamishNation #OrangeShirtDay #NVSD44
The Assembly of First Nations.
Every child matters! #OrangeShirtDay http://t.co/qTuDRnPXZ0 #CloseTheGap
The fine people of Cariboo Regional District in British Columbia.
Orange Shirt day in the @CaribooRD join us in 100 Mile & Williams Lake #orangeshirtday #EveryChildMatters
The staff at APTN.
A few of the APTN staff who honoured Residential School survivors by wearing orange. #orangeshirtday
Journalist and advocate Wab Kinew.
Today is #orangeshirtday wear an orange shirt to honour Residential School survivors #voteTRC
The Ontario Human Rights Commission.
Today, we honour residential school survivors. #OrangeShirtDay
The folks at Ontario's ministry of Aboriginal Affairs.
Today @ONAboriginal staff show our support for #OrangeShirtDay to honour those who experienced residential schools
Many schools also took part, like students and staff at the First Nations Junior and Senior School of Toronto.
Every Child Matters! Honouring those who attended residential schools @tdsb #orangeshirtday #everychildmatters
And Balfour Collegiate in Regina, Saskatchewan.
Just some of the Balfour students and staff in their orange shirts #OrangeShirtDay
