This year, June 21 marks the 30th anniversary of National Indigenous Peoples Day. This date was chosen deliberately because it coincides with the summer solstice — the longest day of the year — which has deep spiritual, cultural, and seasonal significance for many First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples across Turtle Island (North America).
Watch the video below to meet CLBC’s Indigenous Relations team and hear about what National Indigenous Peoples Day means to them. Keep reading to learn more about the history and cultural significance of the summer solstice.
Watch this Celebrating National Indigenous Peoples Day video below.
The history of National Indigenous Peoples Day
The movement to recognize National Indigenous Peoples Day as a national observance grew over decades through Indigenous advocacy. This date has held meaning for Indigenous people long before Canada existed as a country. A few important moments shaped it:
- In 1982, the National Indian Brotherhood (which later became the Assembly of First Nations) called for the creation of a National Aboriginal Solidarity Day.
- In 1995, the Sacred Assembly, chaired by Elijah Harper, again recommended a national day recognizing Indigenous peoples and cultures.
- The Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples repeated that recommendation in 1996.
- Later that same year, Governor General Roméo LeBlanc officially proclaimed June 21 as National Aboriginal Day.
- In 2017, the federal government renamed the day as National Indigenous Peoples Day to better reflect the diversity of Indigenous peoples and the language many communities themselves were using.
It is important to note that, federally, the day is recognized as a celebration and observance, but it is not yet a statutory holiday across all provinces and territories. Some Indigenous leaders and communities continue advocating for stronger recognition and broader public participation.
Why the summer solstice matters
For many Indigenous Nations, the solstice has long marked a time of gathering, ceremony, harvesting, renewal, and connection to the land. Indigenous Nations hold and continue to carry forward ancient relationships to land, sky, water, and seasonal cycles. Different Nations have distinct teachings and traditions for the solstice, but common themes include:
- gratitude to the Creator,
- honoring the cycles of nature,
- community gatherings,
- songs, dances, and feasts,
- and passing knowledge between generations.
Why honoring Indigenous peoples matters
For many Indigenous people, National Indigenous Peoples Day reflects resilience, strength and survival despite historic and ongoing colonization.
Celebration cannot be separated from:
- residential schools,
- the Sixties Scoop,
- land dispossession,
- bans on ceremonies and languages,
- missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and Two-Spirit people,
- and ongoing inequities in housing, healthcare, water access, and child welfare.
Many Indigenous people see June 21 as a day to affirm: We are still here. This phrase carries enormous weight and recognizes:
- the Indigenous languages that have survived attempts to erase them,
- the ceremonies that have survived outlawing,
- the families who have survived forced separation,
- and the Nations who continue despite centuries of pressure to assimilate.
The day can therefore be joyful and painful at the same time.
Click here to learn more about CLBC’s Cultural Safety Policy and Principles that guide how CLBC staff and service providers engage, support, and plan with First Nations, Métis and Inuit individuals, as well as their families, support networks and communities.