Truth and Reconciliation Day: Honouring Survivors, Remembering Our Elders, Carrying Our Stories Forward
Posted on: Sep 30, 2026
EDMONTON — Today is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. It is a day to pause, listen, remember, and honour the Survivors of the residential and day school systems and those who never returned home. For the Otipemisiwak Métis Government, the legacy of these institutions is not a chapter in a history book. It is a lived reality that continues to echo through our families and communities.
Across Alberta and Canada, thousands of Métis children were separated from their families and communities. They were denied their language, culture and connection to their Métis identity by a colonial system that sought to erase who they were. The impacts of that system did not end when the schools closed. Survivors, their families and communities continue to carry the effects of this history from one generation to the next.
“Truth and Reconciliation asks Canadians to do more than remember,” said Otipemisiwak Métis Government President Andrea Sandmaier. “It asks everyone to listen to our Survivors, to honour the truth of what they endured, and to carry their stories forward. We have a responsibility to ensure that the experiences of Métis children who were taken from their families are never forgotten, and that their voices continue to guide the work of reconciliation.”
This September 30 carries a particularly profound weight for the Otipemisiwak Métis Government and Métis Citizens across Alberta. Over the past year, we have mourned the loss of two beloved Elders, Angie Crerar and Pearl Sandor. Angie and Pearl were matriarchs in the truest sense of the word. Through their wisdom, kindness, and strength, they helped shape generations of Métis people and left a legacy that will endure in our communities.
Both Angie and Pearl attended residential schools. They carried the weight of those experiences throughout their lives, but they also carried their stories forward. They spoke about what they endured. They shared their truth. And they never stopped working to ensure that future generations would not experience the same injustices.
We honour them by continuing that work, by listening, and by telling the truth. We honour them by building a future where Métis children can grow up knowing their language, culture, families, and identity are valued and protected.
That commitment is at the heart of the Otipemisiwak Métis Government’s Our Métis Survivor Stories initiative, which was launched to gather and preserve the testimonies of Métis Residential School and Day School Survivors. These stories are part of our collective history, and they must never be lost.
If you are a Survivor, or a family member carrying this history, we invite you to share your story. Your voice matters. Your experience matters. Your truth matters.
Truth and Reconciliation is not simply a day on the calendar. It is an ongoing responsibility that calls on Canadians to face the truth of what happened, honour those who lived through it, remember those we have lost, and ensure that the lessons of the past are carried forward.
Media Contact:
Kenny Trenton
Press Secretary, Otipemisiwak Métis Government
ktrenton@metis.org