The future Indian Residential Schools National Monument (First Nations, Métis and Inuit) is moving into the design selection stage after three years of collaborative work to define objectives and choose a site. The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation and Canadian government are now seeking new steering committee members to guide the next steps, which will also include the development of outreach materials and on-site programming.

“Survivors and intergenerational survivors hold the truths that this country must never forget. Their voices are essential in shaping this monument — not just as a place of remembrance, but as a living testament to strength, resistance and the ongoing journey of healing,” says Stephanie Scott, executive director of the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation.

First Nations, Métis or Inuit attendees of residential schools, or their children, are invited to apply by Sept. 9, 2025. The new steering committee will have a two-year mandate, and will continue to build on the foundation that the predecessor, inaugural steering committee forged for the monument.

This will give form to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s recommended Action #81, which called on the Canadian government to commission and install a highly visible monument in Ottawa, to be conceived in collaboration with residential school survivors, their organizations and other stakeholders. It will formally be known as the Indian Residential Schools National Monument (First Nations, Métis and Inuit) to preserve the historical truth of how “Indian” was understood and perceived within Canadian legislation and society, and is intended to:

• educate about Canadian government and church-led efforts to erase Indigenous culture;
• honour the children who died, often without notice given to their families, while sequestered in residential schools;
• provide spaces for reflection, gatherings and ceremony; and
• celebrate the cultures, strengths and resilience of First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples, and their contributions to Canada.

The monument will be located on the ancestral lands of the Algonquin Anishinabeg Nation on the west terrace of Parliament Hill. The site was chosen with consensus from the Algonquin Anishinabeg Nation, whose Elders bestowed a blessing in a special ceremony.

“The Indian Residential Schools National Monument (First Nations, Métis and Inuit) is a response to a profound truth in our shared history, one that calls for remembrance, accountability and healing,” affirms Steven Guilbeault, Canada’s Minister of Canadian Identity, Culture and Official Languages.