The bill to establish a national day of truth and reconciliation has received royal assent.

After passing overwhelmingly in the Senate, a bill creating a legislative holiday to memorialize the tragic legacy of Canada's residential schools gained royal assent Thursday. Because Bill C-5 was passed quickly, September 30 will be the first of what will be an annual national day of truth and reconciliation. After passing overwhelmingly in the Senate, a bill creating a legislative holiday to memorialize the tragic legacy of Canada's residential schools gained royal assent Thursday.

The goal, according to Canadian Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault, is to give Canadians a chance to learn about and reflect on a dark chapter in their country's history, as well as to commemorate the survivors, their families, and their communities, as the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and Indigenous leaders have demanded.

Guilbeault remarked in French that the "awful" finding of children's remains in Kamloops is "a poignant reminder of the heavy toll of our colonial past. Addressing the legacy of colonial brutality requires more than words. Bill C-5 is a critical step on the road to reconciliation, which will not be reached overnight." Over the course of more than a century, more than 150,000 Indigenous children were separated from their families and forced to attend church-run residential schools, where many were subjected to physical and sexual abuse, hunger, and neglect. More than 4,000 people are said to have died.

Despite receiving complete Senate support, Guilbeault was questioned about the cost of creating a new national holiday and whether it is merely a symbolic gesture.