Go to main content

CBC ANNOUNCES SPECIAL PROGRAMMING ON ALL PLATFORMS TO HONOUR THE FIRST NATIONAL DAY FOR TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION ON SEPTEMBER 30

NATIONAL DAY FOR TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION  special hosted by JUNO Award-winning artist Elisapie will broadcast at 8 p.m. (9 AT, 9:30 NT) on CBC TV, CBC Gem, CBC Radio One and CBC Listen, followed by new original  documentary WE KNOW THE TRUTH: STORIES TO INSPIRE RECONCILIATION at 9 p.m. on CBC TV and CBC Gem

CBC to deliver timely news features and special reports throughout the day from the CBC News Indigenous-led team investigating Residential Schools on THE NATIONALCBC NEWS NETWORK, WORLD REPORT, THE WORLD AT SIX and CBC.ca/Indigenous

CBC Radio One will offer a one-hour special at 12 p.m. hosted by Rosanna Deerchild and focused on stories of resilience, resistance, and reclamation and CBC Music will  feature Indigenous artists and composers from 6 a.m. until midnight 

A Truth and Reconciliation collection featuring more than 20 documentaries and films including the premiere of Tanya Talaga’s acclaimed MASHKAWI-MANIDOO BIZMAADIZIWIN SPIRIT TO SOAR, in both English and Anishinaabemowin, will be available to stream on CBC Gem Friday, September 24

CBC is marking the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation with a full day of programming and content showcasing First Nations, Métis and Inuit perspectives and experiences across CBC TV, CBC News Network, CBC.ca, CBC Kids, CBC Radio One and CBC Music  including a  commercial free, primetime broadcast special,  NATIONAL DAY FOR TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION. Hosted by JUNO Award-winning and Polaris Music Prize Short Listed artist Elisapie and conceived and created by  the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, the one-hour national special will broadcast on CBC TV, CBC Gem, CBC Radio One and CBC Listen on Thursday, September 30 at 8 p.m. local time (9 p.m. AT, 9:30 p.m. NT). Following the special, new original  documentary from CBC Manitoba, WE KNOW THE TRUTH: STORIES TO INSPIRE RECONCILIATION, will premiere  at 9 p.m. on CBC TV and CBC Gem.

CBC’s National Day for Truth and Reconciliation lineup includes:

Note: Radio-Canada programming information available here 

Thursday, September 30 at 8 p.m. (9 p.m. AT, 9:30 NT) on CBC, CBC Gem, CBC Radio One and CBC Listen

NATIONAL DAY FOR TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION - In recognition of the new federal statutory holiday, also known as Orange Shirt Day, this unique one-hour, commercial-free primetime special hosted by Elisapie honours the stories and perspectives of Indigenous Peoples affected by the tragedies of the residential school system in Canada, with musical tributes and ceremonies in Indigenous communities across the land. The broadcast special is conceived and created by The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR) hosted by the University of Manitoba and produced by NCTR in collaboration with Insight Productions, in association with CBC/Radio-Canada and APTN.

Thursday, September 30 at 9 p.m. on CBC and CBC Gem

WE KNOW THE TRUTH: STORIES TO INSPIRE RECONCILIATION - A CBC Manitoba documentary that recasts Canada's history and future through the empowerment of Indigenous Peoples. Meet the people who are challenging the history of Canada and residential schools, and creating change on their own terms. Reflect with residential school survivors and be inspired by those who are working hard to keep their culture and languages alive. 

Saturday, September 25 at 4 p.m. and Tuesday, September 28 at 1 p.m. on CBC Radio One

UNRESERVED - Join Rosanna Deerchild on Unreserved for a revealing, poignant and emotional conversation with the Honorable Justice Murray Sinclair, former Senator and Lead Commissioner of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. In this intimate, hour-long interview they discuss reconciliation⁠— how far we’ve come, how far we have left to go and who is responsible for taking the journey. 

Thursday, September 30 at 10 a.m. on CBC Radio One 

Q - Tom Power speaks with Alanis Obomsawin, one of the most accomplished documentary filmmakers in Canada, and one of the most acclaimed Indigenous filmmakers in the world. She is the winner of the Glenn Gould Prize, the prestigious award given for a unique lifetime contribution that has enriched the human condition through the arts. She was also honoured at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival with a career retrospective of her work called ‘Celebrating Alanis Obomsawin’. The video interview with Alanis Obomsawin will be available on cbc.ca/q

Thursday, September 30 at 12 p.m. noon on CBC Radio One

ANSWERING THE CALL: Stories of resistance, reclamation and resilience on Canada's National Day for Truth and Reconciliation - Host Rosanna Deerchild explores how Canada is doing on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's calls to action and how First Nations across Canada are demolishing, redeveloping, and reclaiming former residential school sites. JUNO Award-winning musician William Prince will discuss the role artists play and share how his family is marking the day.  Finally, retired senator Murray Sinclair, who chaired the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, offers his thoughts on the future of reconciliation in Canada.  

MASHKAWI-MANIDOO BIMAADIZIWIN SPIRIT TO SOAR - Available to stream in Anishinaabemowin on CBC Gem, and premiering in English on CBC TV and CBC Gem on The Passionate Eye, 9 p.m. (9:30 NT) Friday, September 24, with an encore broadcast on September 30.

Directed by Tanya Talaga and Michelle Derosier, MASHKAWI-MANIDOO BIMAADIZIWIN SPIRIT TO SOAR examines the hard truths around the deaths of First Nations students in Thunder Bay, truths Canada continues to ignore: racism kills, especially when it presents as indifference. It’s a look at how families and communities struggle to carry on while pursuing justice for their loved ones and equity for their people, and it follows Tanya Talaga’s personal journey as she explores her own Indigenous identity. 

Also now streaming on the CBC Listen app is a companion podcast to the documentary, SPIRIT TO SOAR: WHERE WE COME FROM, a four-part podcast about four disruptions to Indigenous life, and ways to move forward together. The story is told first in Anishinaabemowin by Elder Sam Achneepineskum and then in English by Jolene Banning.

CBC Gem

THE TRUTH & RECONCILIATION COLLECTION will be available starting Sept 24 on the free CBC Gem streaming service with more than 20 documentaries and films honouring the history, heritage and diversity of First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples, including THE SECRET PATH, Gord Downie’s animated film that tells the true story of Chanie Wenjack and INENDI, Sarain Fox’s journey to preserve her cultural legacy by collecting stories from her family’s Matriarch.

CBC Music

All day on September 30, CBC Music will feature Indigenous artists and composers from 6 a.m. to midnight. CBCMusic.ca will offer stories in the lead up to September 30 include a feature on where Indigenous musicians have experienced moments of truth and reconciliation, an exploration of the art within protests and a collection of songs and lyrics about reconciliation.  

CBC Books

Visit CBC.ca/thisplace for the CBC Books podcast, THIS PLACE. The original series, adapted from the award-winning graphic novel, explores 150 years of Indigenous resistance and resilience. Learn more with additional CBC Books content covering the 20 authors and illustrators who made the graphic novel, a cast roundup of the Indigenous actors who voiced the dramatizations and a list of some of the Indigenous heroes we meet in the series. 

CBC Kids and CBC Kids News

CBC Kids News will feature an “Ask an Indigenous person anything” segment where four Indigenous Peoples (First Nation, Inuit and Métis) under 30 meet and chat with junior journalist Isabel DeRoy-Olson to discuss reconciliation and take questions from kids across Canada. Additionally, CBC Kids News will feature two segments for a teen audience outlining what reconciliation is and why it is needed, and how to be a better ally. 

CBC Kids is recognizing Sept. 30th with an hour-long special from the award-winning animated series MOLLY OF DENALI plus original content from Studio K all about Indigenous Heritage and Culture.

CBC Arts

For the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, CBC Arts will be doing a special edition of the "Poetic License" video series featuring four poets including Kahsenniyo Williams from the Mohawk Nation Wolf Clan, who will be doing a piece called Decolonial Love. Also available that day, CBCArts.ca has a written feature that asks Indigeous curators, cultural programmers and artists to highlight a piece of art that speaks to the ideas behind Truth and Reconciliation, including contributions from writer Alicia Elliott and visual artist Adrian Stimson. 

CBC Sports

CBC Sports will feature interviews and opinion pieces by and with Indigenous athletes including Hunter Lang, Michael Linklater and Kali Reis. 

***

Visit the HOW TO WATCH, LISTEN AND FOLLOW page for more special programming, information on regional programming, and to learn more about contributing Art Director Emily Kewageshig, an Anishinaabe artist raised in Saugeen First Nation #29 who designed the CBC logo marking the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Her work captures the interconnection of life forms using culturally significant materials from the land. 

Download Emily Kewageshig’s CBC logo and photos of hosts Elisapie and Rosanna Deerchild here.

-30-

About CBC/Radio Canada

CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada’s national public broadcaster. Through our mandate to inform, enlighten and entertain, we play a central role in strengthening Canadian culture. As Canada’s trusted news source, we offer a uniquely Canadian perspective on news, current affairs and world affairs. Our distinctively homegrown entertainment programming draws audiences from across the country. Deeply rooted in communities, CBC/Radio-Canada offers diverse content in English, French and eight Indigenous languages. We also deliver content in Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Punjabi and Tagalog, as well as both official languages, through Radio Canada International (RCI). We are leading the transformation to meet the needs of Canadians in a digital world.

For additional information, please contact:

Teaghan Hawke, CBC PR

647-527-4596

teaghan.hawke@cbc.ca

Frances Bedford, CBC PR

416-205-7673

frances.bedford@cbc.ca 

Discover

October 27th at 15:49

CBC Announces New Ad-Free CBC Kids Streaming Channel, Now Available on CBC Gem and CBC Kids YouTube

CBC today announced the launch of a new 24/7 commercial-free CBC Kids streaming channel, available now to stream on CBC Gem and the CBC Kids YouTube channel. 
October 27th at 9:00

New to CBC Gem in November 2025

CBC’s fall premieres continue with THE ASSEMBLY (Nov. 6, also on CBC TV), featuring authentic conversations between autistic interviewers and Canadian celebrities, and Season 2 of POV documentary series FOR THE CULTURE WITH AMANDA PARRIS (Nov. 28 on CBC Gem)
October 23rd at 11:59

Nothing Is Off the Table in CBC’s New Unscripted Series The Assembly, Premiering November 6 on CBC and CBC Gem

CBC today announced the six celebrities who will be in the hot seat in the new unscripted series THE ASSEMBLY.
October 20th at 11:41

CBC Expands FAST Portfolio with New Schitt’s Creek Channel, Now Streaming on CBC Gem in Canada

CBC today announced the expansion of its free ad-supported streaming portfolio with the launch of a new Schitt’s Creek channel, featuring all six seasons of the multiple Emmy Award-winning CBC original comedy series plus one-hour finale special Best Wishes, Warmest Regards: A Schitt’s Creek Farewell. 
September 24th at 12:43

New to CBC Gem in October 2025

CBC’s fall premieres continue with new factual series LOCALS WELCOME (Oct. 5) hosted by food writer Suresh Doss, and new seasons of HEARTLAND (Oct. 5), THE GREAT CANADIAN BAKING SHOW (Oct. 5), MURDOCH MYSTERIES (Oct. 6), FAMILY FEUD CANADA (Oct. 6), and THE FIFTH ESTATE (Oct. 10)