In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada released 94 Calls to Action—concrete steps toward healing the harms of residential schools and building a renewed relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. These calls weren't suggestions or aspirations. They were specific, actionable recommendations directed at all levels of government, churches, educational institutions, media organizations, and Canadian society itself. A decade later, the question of implementation—how many calls have been answered, how many remain—reveals both progress made and commitments yet to be honoured.
What the Calls to Action Are
The 94 Calls to Action emerged from six years of truth-gathering by the TRC, which heard testimony from over 7,000 residential school survivors across Canada. The calls translate the commission's findings into specific recommendations organized into categories: child welfare, education, language and culture, health, justice, and reconciliation itself. Each call identifies what should happen, who should act, and in many cases, specific mechanisms for implementation.
The calls range from the specific to the structural. Some request particular actions: establishing a national inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls (Call 41), implementing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (Call 43), or ensuring Indigenous language programs in schools (Call 14). Others call for systemic change: reforming child welfare to reduce Indigenous children in care (Calls 1-5), transforming how history is taught (Calls 62-65), or changing how media represents Indigenous peoples (Calls 84-86).
The calls are directed at multiple actors. The federal government bears responsibility for many, but provinces, territories, municipalities, churches, educational institutions, corporations, and professional organizations all receive specific calls. This distribution reflects the commission's understanding that reconciliation cannot be accomplished by government alone—it requires transformation across Canadian society.
Progress and Accountability
Tracking implementation of the 94 Calls to Action has become a significant accountability mechanism. Various organizations—including the Yellowhead Institute, CBC's Beyond 94 project, and the Assembly of First Nations—monitor progress, often reaching different conclusions based on how they assess "complete" versus "in progress" versus "not started." These assessments matter because they hold institutions accountable for commitments made in the reconciliation framework.
By most assessments, roughly 10-15 of the 94 calls have been completed, with another 25-35 in progress and the remainder showing limited or no movement. Completed calls include establishing the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (though implementation of its recommendations is separate), creating the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (Call 80), and some educational curriculum changes. But the majority of calls—including many structural reforms—remain incomplete or unaddressed years after their release.
Progress varies significantly by call and by government. Some provinces have moved more aggressively on education-related calls than others. Some churches have taken seriously calls regarding document disclosure and apology, while others have resisted. The federal government has completed some calls while allowing others to languish. The patchwork implementation reflects both the complexity of the calls and the uneven commitment to their fulfilment.
Child Welfare (Calls 1-5)
The first five calls address Indigenous children in care—a system that has been described as a continuation of residential school family separation by other means. Indigenous children are dramatically overrepresented in child welfare systems across Canada, often removed from families and communities in circumstances that reflect systemic bias rather than genuine child protection necessity. The calls request specific legislative and policy changes to reduce apprehensions and keep families together.
Implementation of these calls has been mixed. The federal government passed An Act respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis children, youth and families (C-92) in 2019, which affirms Indigenous jurisdiction over child welfare. But provincial systems—where most child welfare actually operates—have been slower to reform. The numbers of Indigenous children in care have not significantly declined in most provinces. The structural changes that would reduce family separation remain largely unachieved.
Education (Calls 6-12, 62-65)
Education-related calls address both Indigenous education specifically and how all students learn about Indigenous peoples and history. Calls 6-12 focus on educational outcomes for Indigenous students: funding equity, eliminating achievement gaps, supporting Indigenous languages and cultures, and developing culturally appropriate curriculum. Calls 62-65 address history education for all students: mandatory curriculum about residential schools, teacher training on Indigenous topics, and establishment of research funding.
Progress on education calls varies significantly by province. Some provinces have implemented mandatory residential school curriculum; others have not. Teacher training on Indigenous content has expanded but remains inconsistent. Funding gaps between on-reserve and provincial schools have narrowed but not disappeared. The call for education about treaties and Indigenous-Crown relations has seen uneven response—some jurisdictions have robust curriculum, others minimal content.
Language and Culture (Calls 13-17)
These calls recognize that residential schools deliberately targeted Indigenous languages for elimination, and that language revitalization is essential to cultural recovery. The calls request language legislation, funding for immersion programs, and recognition of Indigenous languages as official languages in provinces and territories with significant Indigenous populations.
The federal Indigenous Languages Act (2019) addressed Call 13 by providing a legislative framework for Indigenous language preservation and revitalization. But funding for language programs remains inadequate relative to the scale of language loss. Most Indigenous languages remain endangered. The act created framework without providing resources commensurate with need.
Health (Calls 18-24)
Health-related calls address the ongoing health disparities facing Indigenous peoples, which reflect residential school impacts across generations. The calls request acknowledgment that current health conditions result from historical policies, funding for healing programs, recognition of Indigenous healing practices, and improvements to health care delivery for Indigenous communities.
Some health calls have seen progress—mental health and addiction services have expanded, though demand exceeds supply. But fundamental health disparities persist: lower life expectancy, higher rates of chronic disease, inadequate access to care in remote communities. The structural changes that would address health inequity—changes to funding, to health system design, to social determinants—remain largely unimplemented.
Justice (Calls 25-42)
Justice calls address the overrepresentation of Indigenous peoples in the criminal justice system—as victims, as accused, as incarcerated. The calls request reforms to sentencing, policing, and corrections; alternatives to incarceration; addressing violence against Indigenous women; and recognition of Indigenous justice traditions. These calls acknowledge that the justice system has often perpetuated rather than remedied harms.
Implementation has been limited. Overrepresentation of Indigenous peoples in prisons has increased rather than decreased since 2015. The National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (Call 41) was completed, but its recommendations face their own implementation challenges. Gladue principles intended to reduce Indigenous incarceration are inconsistently applied. The justice system reforms that calls envision remain largely unrealized.
Reconciliation (Calls 43-94)
The largest category of calls addresses reconciliation broadly—relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples, between Indigenous nations and the Crown, and within Canadian institutions and society. These calls include adoption of UNDRIP (Call 43), development of a Royal Proclamation of Reconciliation (Call 45), changes to citizenship ceremonies and oaths (Calls 93-94), sports-related calls (Calls 87-91), and calls regarding churches (Calls 58-61), media (Calls 84-86), and professional education (Calls 23-24, 27-28).
Progress varies across this diverse category. Canada formally adopted UNDRIP through legislation (C-15 in 2021), though implementation remains contested. The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (Call 80) was established. Some churches have complied with document disclosure requests (Call 61); others have not. Many calls in this category require ongoing relationship transformation rather than discrete completable actions, making progress assessment complex.
What Completion Means
Assessing whether calls have been "completed" involves interpretation. Does passing legislation complete a call, or does implementation matter? Does establishing a program complete a call, or does achieving the call's underlying purpose matter? Does action by one level of government complete a call directed at multiple actors? These questions produce different completion counts depending on standards applied.
Some calls involve ongoing rather than one-time action. Call 1's request to reduce Indigenous children in care isn't completed by passing a law—it requires sustained reduction in apprehensions over time. Call 62's request for age-appropriate curriculum isn't completed by publishing one resource—it requires ongoing curriculum development and teacher training. Many calls describe directions rather than destinations.
The accountability question extends beyond completion counting. Even where calls have been formally completed, the question of whether reconciliation is advancing matters more than the count. Completing a call in form without substance—passing legislation without implementing it, establishing a program without funding it—may count as "done" while accomplishing little.
Individual and Community Roles
While most calls are directed at governments and institutions, reconciliation requires response from all Canadians. Learning the history that residential schools represent, understanding Indigenous perspectives, supporting Indigenous-led initiatives, and building genuine relationships all contribute to reconciliation that policy alone cannot achieve.
Communities can track implementation in their own contexts. Are local schools teaching residential school history? Are local institutions responding to relevant calls? Are relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous community members improving? These local questions connect to national progress while remaining accessible to individual action.
The calls provide framework for ongoing engagement rather than a checklist to complete and move on from. Reconciliation is process rather than destination—a generational project of relationship repair that the calls help structure but cannot accomplish alone.
Questions for Consideration
Have you read the 94 Calls to Action? Which calls are most relevant to your community, your profession, or your institution? What would meaningful implementation look like in areas where you have influence? How do you understand the relationship between completing calls and achieving reconciliation?