Truth Before Reconciliation: Why Symbolism Isn’t Enough

Guest blog, written by Heather Watts - Curated Leadership Indigenous Consultant

A Decade After the TRC, Is Canada Still Committed to Reconciliation?

In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) released 94 Calls to Action to address the legacy of residential schools and chart a path forward. Ten years later, reconciliation has undeniably entered Canada’s public vocabulary. But has it transformed into meaningful change?

Reconciliation Everywhere

Today, reconciliation is visible in schools, corporations, and cultural spaces. Morning announcements begin with land acknowledgements. Corporations publish glossy Reconciliation Action Plans. Universities, hospitals, and governments decorate their lobbies with Indigenous art. Even global pop acts like Coldplay have opened Canadian concerts with land acknowledgements and traditional ceremonies (BCIT News, 2023).

These gestures matter. They create visibility and normalize conversations that were once ignored. But they are not reconciliation in and of themselves. As one critic quipped about Coldplay’s efforts, such acts can feel like “staggering virtual signalling” (Far Out Magazine, 2023).

For organizations, the difference between symbolism and substance often shows up in workplace culture. When reconciliation is treated as a checklist, it risks becoming hollow. When it is embedded into policies, practices, and leadership, it becomes part of a meaningful inclusive workplace.

Public Sentiment and Social Expectations

Polls suggest Canadians increasingly see reconciliation as important. The Environics Institute’s Confederation of Tomorrow 2023 survey found a slow but steady rise in the share of Canadians who describe relations between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people as good—the most positive measure since 2020 (Environics Institute, 2023).

Yet there is a tension between sentiment and substance. Symbolic inclusion is widely embraced, but when it requires confronting systemic inequities—such as returning land, restructuring governance, or addressing underfunded services—the momentum stalls. In the workplace, this same tension can show up when organizations commit to reconciliation in principle but hesitate to implement real workplace culture solutions that challenge inequity.

The Accountability Gap

The Yellowhead Institute has tracked implementation of the TRC Calls to Action since 2015. Its 2023 report found only 13 of the 94 Calls have been fully implemented, with no new completions that year (Yellowhead Institute, 2023). At the current pace, it would take until 2081 to fulfill them all (APTN News, 2023).

This gap reveals the limits of socialization: reconciliation is widely spoken of, but unevenly enacted. For organizations, it underscores why inclusive workplace practices must move beyond symbolism and into structural accountability.

When Socialization Meets Backlash

The spread of reconciliation rhetoric has also produced backlash. Land acknowledgements, once novel, are increasingly criticized as empty or even dropped from public ceremonies. Provincial governments have reinstated statues of colonial figures, sending contradictory signals. And while symbolic acts flourish, decisions on education, healthcare, and housing for Indigenous Peoples often reinforce inequity.

At the federal and provincial levels, resource development laws like Ontario’s Bill 5 or British Columbia’s Bill 15 illustrate how quickly governments prioritize expediency over free, prior, and informed consent (The Narwhal, 2025; JFK Law, 2025). These decisions matter, but they expose how symbolic reconciliation can obscure ongoing colonial practices.

Beyond Socialization

Reconciliation has been socialized into Canadian life, but it risks becoming cultural wallpaper: noticed yet ignored. True reconciliation is not a poster in a lobby, a scripted land acknowledgement, or a one-time corporate plan. It is structural: honouring treaties, sharing decision-making, and enacting systemic reform in education, healthcare, justice, and governance.

As King Charles III reminded Parliament earlier this year: “It is my great hope… a path is found forward toward truth and reconciliation in both word and deed” (The Guardian, 2025b). Ten years after the TRC Final Report, Canadians must decide whether reconciliation is something we live—or merely something we say.

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At Curated Leadership, we recognize that reconciliation in the workplace requires more than statements. It requires embedding Indigenous equity and inclusion into everyday practices. Our work includes:

• Facilitated learning sessions on the TRC Calls to Action and what they mean for employers

• Equity-informed policy reviews to align organizational practices with reconciliation goals

• Leadership training on building accountable, inclusive workplace cultures that honour Indigenous rights

If your organization is asking, How do we move from land acknowledgements to real action?—we can help you chart that path forward. Book a free discovery call, subscribe to our newsletter, and visit our other pages to find out more about how Curated Leadership is your partner in creating a more inclusive workplace.

Works Cited

• APTN News. (2023, December 20). Report says ‘zero’ Calls to Action completed by feds in 2023. Retrieved from [APTN News]

• BCIT News. (2023, September 23). Historic land acknowledgements made at Coldplay concerts. Retrieved from [BCIT News]

• Environics Institute. (2023). Confederation of Tomorrow 2023: Relations with Indigenous Peoples [PDF]. Retrieved from [Environics Institute]

• Far Out Magazine. (2023). A night of Coldplay’s staggering virtual signalling… [Social media commentary]

• JFK Law. (2025, June 11). Too much discretion, not enough meaningful consultation: British Columbia’s Bill 15 and DRIPA. Retrieved from [JFK Law]

• The Guardian. (2025b, May 30). King Charles’s visit brings frustration for First Nations amid ‘backslide in reconciliation’. Retrieved from [The Guardian]

• The Narwhal. (2025, June 5). Ontario’s Bill 5 could spark conflict on the ground, First Nations warn. Retrieved from [The Narwhal]

• Yellowhead Institute. (2023). Calls to Action Accountability: 2023 Status Update. Retrieved from [Yellowhead Institute]