FAQs

The Council approaches reconciliation as an ongoing process grounded in truth, accountability, Indigenous rights, healing, and renewed relationships among First Nations, Inuit, Métis Peoples and non-Indigenous Peoples.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada documented the harm of residential schools and colonialism and released 94 Calls to Action in 2015. These Calls to Action set out concrete responsibilities for governments, institutions, organizations, and people in Canada to address the legacy of residential schools and advance reconciliation.

For the Council, accountability is central. Reconciliation must be measured not only by commitments or public statements, but by meaningful progress on the Calls to Action and other reconciliation commitments, and by changes that support First Nations, Inuit and Métis People, families, and communities to thrive.

The Council’s role is to monitor, evaluate, and report on that progress, while supporting public understanding, dialogue, and shared responsibility for the work ahead.

The Council approaches reconciliation as an ongoing process of truth-telling, justice, healing, and relationship-building between First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples and non-Indigenous people. It is grounded in Indigenous Knowledge systems and treaty relationships, and it is measured by real progress on the Calls to Action, not by statements or ceremonies alone.

Reconciliation is advanced when First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Rights are fully embedded in governance, economic development, public institutions, and civic life and when First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples have the authority, capacity, and resources to determine their own futures.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada was clear: Calls to Action 53 through 56 called upon Parliament to establish an independent national oversight body to monitor, evaluate, and report on reconciliation progress; to provide multi-year funding; to produce annual reports and provide current data; and for the Prime Minister to respond publicly each year to the Council’s Annual Report by issuing an annual “State of Aboriginal Peoples Report.”

The National Council for Reconciliation Act responded to these Calls to Action by establishing the Council and creating a framework for ongoing reporting and accountability. The Act came into force on July 2, 2024, and provides a basis for implementing Calls to Action 54, 55, and 56. The Act gives the Council a permanent, independent, and Indigenous-led role in monitoring reconciliation progress. It requires public reporting through Parliament and helps ensure reconciliation monitoring continues beyond changes in government or political priorities.

No, we are two separate independent organizations. Our mandate is to advance reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. We do this by monitoring, evaluating, and reporting annually on progress being made towards reconciliation across all levels of government and sectors of Canadian society, including progress in implementing the TRC Calls to Action.

The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR) are stewards of the testimonies and records gathered during the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada national events. They also support families and educate the public about the Residential School system.

NCR’s work is guided by First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples; residential school Survivors and their families; Indigenous communities and organizations; and by our responsibility to future generations.

We are also guided by our responsibility to the generations who will inherit what this work makes possible. In that spirit, we engage with governments, institutions, and all sectors of society in Canada to advance reconciliation and amplify the voices of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples.

The NCR is an independent, Indigenous-led, permanent organization with a Board of First Nations, Inuit, Métis and non-Indigenous Directors. We monitor, evaluate, and publicly report annually on the Government of Canada's progress towards reconciliation, helping to strengthen transparency and accountability in the relationship between Indigenous Peoples and the Crown.

Our work is shaped by engagement with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples, organizations, and communities, so that reconciliation is assessed through lived experience and available evidence. That transparency helps keep reconciliation honest and measurable as an ongoing responsibility, not a destination already reached.

We also engage with all governments, institutions, and sectors of society, and provide public reporting, so people in Canada can better understand progress, gaps, and shared responsibilities in advancing reconciliation.

We monitor, evaluate, and report on progress toward reconciliation, across all levels of government and sectors of society in Canada, including the progress on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Calls to Action. We also support this work through research, recommendations, public education, dialogue, and partnerships, helping make progress visible and showing where action is advancing and where further work is needed. 

We do not implement programs, deliver services, replace the work of the  Indigenous organizations, speak on behalf of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples, or investigate individual complaints.

The Government of Canada announced $126.5 million to establish the Council in Budget 2019, including a $125 million endowment fund and $1.5 million for the Council's first year of operations. The endowment is a financial mechanism intended to support the NCR's independence, protecting it from annual budget cycles and political influence. The endowment is managed at arm's length from government and is neither a trust nor a program-funding vehicle. Instead, it serves as a financial foundation that enables the Council to carry out its mandate in perpetuity.

The NCR work is driven by four interconnected priorities:

Leadership, public trust, and accountability: We are building public trust and helping keep reconciliation visible as a sustained national priority grounded in transparency and shared responsibility.

Strong governance and organizational maturity: We are establishing the governance structures, capacity, and organizational integrity needed to serve as a stable, trusted, Indigenous-led institution.

Engagement and relationship-building: We are building meaningful relationships and sustained dialogue across all sectors of Canadian society, because reconciliation advances through relationships, not in isolation.

Research, monitoring and learning: We will conduct research and monitoring that go beyond government reports, assessing reconciliation progress through methods that are robust, culturally grounded, and attentive to what numbers alone cannot capture.

Reconciliation is not something to watch; it is work we do together. You can start by learning the truth about residential schools and colonialism, honouring the experiences of Survivors and their families, reading the Calls to Action, listening to First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Voices, challenging racism, and supporting Indigenous Rights in the places where you live, work and learn.

We invite you to read our Annual Report and visit the Taking Action page to better understand what is working, where more action is needed, and how you can take part.