Hundreds of people gathered at Colonial Building on Monday afternoon for speeches, drumming and a smudging ceremony to mark the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in St. John's.

A sea of orange shirts made up the crowd of several events in Regina on Monday. Orange Shirt Day is recognized nationally, to reflect on truth and reconciliation efforts across Canada.

Sept. 30 marks the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Canada — a day to reflect on this country's dark past with the residential school system.

The event in Regina began at 8:30 a.m. with a pipe ceremony, followed by prayers, guest speakers and a barbeque. More than 2,000 people gathered for the event with roughly 200 volunteers pitching in,

Monday marks the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation across Canada — a time to honour the Indigenous peoples impacted by the brutal legacy of residential schools.

The U.S. Justice Department has announced more than $86 million in grants for American Indian and Alaska Native communities to ​​support survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking and sex trafficking. Nearly $14 million of those dollars were awarded to Alaska tribes and tribal organizations.

This year’s National Day for Truth and Reconciliation was observed under a dark backdrop in Calgary, less than two weeks after Jon Wells, a prominent member of the Blood Tribe of southern Alberta, died after an altercation with Calgary police officers at the Carriage House Inn.

More than a hundred people marched on Cape Breton’s Membertou First Nation on Monday – the fourth National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

Since the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is a federal statutory holiday, Government of Canada offices and buildings will be closed. This includes services like Canada Post, the Canada Revenue Agency, passport offices and Service Canada.

The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation takes place on Sept. 30 every year and is meant to recognize residential school survivors and their families.