TRC Calls to Action for Corporations — What Canadian Companies Must Do

Quick Answer: The TRC’s 94 Calls to Action include specific obligations for the Canadian corporate sector — most notably Call to Action 92, which calls on corporations to adopt UNDRIP, ensure meaningful consultation with Indigenous peoples, and provide intercultural competency training for employees. A Powwow Times Indigenous cultural presentation directly helps corporations meet these obligations. Virtual sessions start at $5,000 USD. Book at powwowtimes.ca.

What Are the TRC Calls to Action?

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) was established in 2008 as part of the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement — the largest class action settlement in Canadian history. Over seven years, the TRC heard testimony from more than 6,000 residential school survivors, documented the history and legacy of the residential school system, and produced a landmark 2015 report. Central to that report are the 94 Calls to Action — a comprehensive set of directives calling on governments, churches, educational institutions, the media, and the corporate sector to take specific, concrete steps toward genuine reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. The Calls to Action are not merely aspirational suggestions. They are documented obligations supported by survivor testimony, historical evidence, and the moral authority of one of the most significant truth-telling processes in Canadian history. For Canadian corporations, understanding the TRC Calls to Action is no longer optional. It is a baseline expectation of responsible organizational citizenship — and increasingly, a prerequisite for doing business with governments, Indigenous communities, and values-aligned institutional partners.

Which TRC Calls to Action Apply to Corporations?

While the 94 Calls to Action address many sectors, several are directly relevant to the corporate world:

Call to Action 57 — Education for Public Servants

Call to Action 57 calls on all levels of government and their agents to provide education for public servants on the history of Aboriginal peoples, including the history and legacy of residential schools, United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Treaties and Aboriginal rights, Indigenous law, and Aboriginal-Crown relations. While this call is primarily directed at government, corporations that operate as government contractors, deliver publicly funded services, or have significant Indigenous community interface are increasingly expected to meet the same standard. Many procurement agreements and grant applications now require documentation of Indigenous cultural training for staff.

Call to Action 62 — Education About Residential Schools

Call to Action 62 calls for the development of age-appropriate curricula and educational resources about residential schools that include the history and legacy of residential schools, including the church’s involvement. For corporations, this translates into an obligation to ensure that employee education programs include meaningful residential school content — not a single orange shirt selfie on September 30.

Call to Action 92 — Business and Reconciliation

This is the most directly applicable call for the corporate sector. Call to Action 92 calls on the corporate sector in Canada to:

Adopt the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as a reconciliation framework and to apply its principles, norms, and standards to corporate policy and core operational activities involving Indigenous peoples and their lands and resources
Engage in meaningful consultation, building respectful relationships with Indigenous communities and entrepreneurs
Ensure that Aboriginal peoples have equitable access to jobs, training, and education opportunities in the corporate sector
Provide education for management and staff on the history of Aboriginal peoples, including the history and legacy of residential schools, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Treaties and Aboriginal rights, Indigenous law, and Aboriginal-Crown relations

This is not a vague aspiration. It is a specific, documented call for corporate employee education on Indigenous history and rights. A Powwow Times Indigenous cultural presentation for corporate teams directly addresses this requirement.

Call to Action 48 — Apology for the Indian Residential Schools

Call to Action 48 calls on the Pope and the Catholic Church to apologize for the role of Catholic institutions in the Indian Residential Schools system. While this call is directed specifically at the Church, its broader implication for corporations is significant: organizations that were complicit in or benefited from the economic development that occurred during the residential school era (resource extraction on treaty lands, for example) carry a moral obligation to acknowledge and address that history.

Calls to Action 74–76 — Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls

These calls address the MMIWG crisis and have implications for corporations in sectors where Indigenous women face disproportionate risk — resource extraction, construction, and transportation corridors. Corporations operating in these sectors are expected to develop policies and programs that address safety, engagement, and protection for Indigenous women workers and community members.

What Is UNDRIP and Why Does It Matter for Your Company?

The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) is a comprehensive international human rights instrument that sets out the minimum standards for the survival, dignity, and well-being of Indigenous peoples worldwide. Canada formally adopted UNDRIP in 2016 and passed legislation implementing it — Bill C-15, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act — in June 2021. For Canadian corporations, UNDRIP adoption means:

Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC): Indigenous peoples have the right to give or withhold consent to projects that affect their lands, territories, and resources. This has direct implications for resource sector approvals, infrastructure development, and any activity on or near First Nations territory.
Cultural rights protection: Corporations must not engage in activities that damage or destroy Indigenous cultural heritage, intellectual property, or traditional knowledge.
Equitable employment and procurement: UNDRIP supports Indigenous peoples’ rights to economic development and equitable participation in corporate value chains.
Consultation obligations: Meaningful (not token) consultation with Indigenous communities before decisions that affect them is a UNDRIP requirement — and increasingly, a regulatory one.

For an employee to conduct a genuine FPIC process or a respectful community consultation, they need foundational Indigenous cultural knowledge. That is what Powwow Times training provides.

The Business Case: Why TRC Compliance Is Also Smart Business

Beyond the moral obligation, meeting TRC Calls to Action is simply good business for Canadian corporations in 2026. Here is why:

Government Procurement Requirements

Federal and provincial government procurement policies increasingly require suppliers and contractors to demonstrate Indigenous awareness training and reconciliation commitments. Organizations without documented compliance risk disqualification from government contracts.

Indigenous Procurement Opportunities

The federal government’s Procurement Strategy for Aboriginal Business (PSAB) and similar provincial programs direct billions of dollars in contracts toward Indigenous-owned businesses and partnerships. Corporations with strong Indigenous cultural competency and reconciliation commitments are better positioned to build the relationships needed to access these opportunities.

ESG and Investor Pressure

Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) frameworks are increasingly incorporating Indigenous rights and reconciliation metrics. Major institutional investors, pension funds, and ESG rating agencies are scrutinizing how Canadian corporations perform on Indigenous engagement. Organizations with documented TRC compliance and Indigenous cultural training programs score significantly better on these metrics.

Social License to Operate

For resource sector, infrastructure, and development companies, social license to operate — the informal, ongoing consent of affected communities — is increasingly contingent on genuine Indigenous engagement. Organizations with culturally competent staff build social license. Those without it face protests, injunctions, and project delays that cost far more than any training investment.

Talent Attraction and Retention

Indigenous peoples are the fastest-growing workforce demographic in Canada. Organizations with demonstrated reconciliation commitments — including Indigenous cultural training programs — are far better positioned to recruit, retain, and advance Indigenous talent. In regions where Indigenous workers represent a significant portion of the available labour pool, this is a direct bottom-line issue.

How to Document TRC Compliance for Boards and Stakeholders

Many organizations want to demonstrate TRC compliance to boards, shareholders, grant funders, or government partners. Here is a practical framework:

Conduct an audit: Identify which TRC Calls to Action are directly applicable to your organization’s sector, size, and operational context.
Document existing initiatives: Catalogue current Indigenous engagement, procurement, hiring, and training activities against specific Calls to Action.
Identify gaps: Determine which Calls to Action your organization has not yet addressed.
Build a reconciliation action plan: Set specific, time-bound commitments to address identified gaps — including employee training.
Book employee training: A Powwow Times Indigenous cultural presentation provides immediate, documented progress on Call to Action 92. We can provide a written summary of how our training addresses specific Calls to Action upon request.
Report annually: Publish an annual reconciliation progress report to stakeholders. This signals genuine commitment and creates accountability.

How a Powwow Times Presentation Helps Your Company Meet TRC Obligations

A Powwow Times Indigenous cultural presentation provides direct, documented progress on TRC Call to Action 92. Our sessions cover:

The history and legacy of residential schools (addresses CTA 57, 62)
The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (addresses CTA 92)
Treaties and Aboriginal rights (addresses CTA 57, 92)
Indigenous law and traditional governance structures (addresses CTA 57)
Aboriginal-Crown relations and the path to reconciliation (addresses CTA 92)

Every Powwow Times client receives:

A written agenda documenting session content
A post-session summary noting which TRC Calls to Action the session addresses
An attendance record for employee training documentation
A digital resource package for attendees

This documentation supports your organization’s reconciliation reporting to boards, shareholders, funders, and government partners. For full details on our corporate presentations, visit our Indigenous cultural presentations for corporate teams page. To understand how to hire a speaker, see our guide on how to hire an Indigenous speaker for your corporate event.

Reconciliation Is Not a Trend — It Is a Reckoning

The TRC Calls to Action represent the minimum standard for genuine reconciliation — the floor, not the ceiling. Canadian corporations that treat TRC compliance as a checkbox exercise miss the point entirely. Genuine reconciliation requires organizations to understand the history, honor the relationships, and change the systems that have perpetuated harm. Patrick Mitsuing and Powwow Times are here to support that genuine journey. We are a non-profit, Indigenous-led organization driven by the principle that giving without want comes before getting. We give your organization the gift of real cultural understanding — and that gift, in turn, gives your organization the capacity to engage with Indigenous peoples in a way that honors the relationships this land was founded on. Visit powwowtimes.ca to begin the conversation. Responsibility. Gratitude. Growth. Giving.

Frequently Asked Questions: TRC Calls to Action for Corporations

What are the TRC Calls to Action?

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 Calls to Action are a set of specific directives issued in 2015 calling on governments, institutions, and the corporate sector to take concrete steps toward reconciliation with Indigenous peoples in Canada. They are the result of seven years of survivor testimony and historical documentation of the residential school system and its ongoing legacy.

Which TRC Calls to Action apply to corporations?

The most directly applicable call for corporations is Call to Action 92, which requires the corporate sector to adopt UNDRIP, engage in meaningful consultation with Indigenous peoples, ensure equitable Indigenous employment, and provide employee education on Indigenous history and rights. Calls to Action 57 and 62 also have significant corporate relevance for organizations working alongside government or delivering publicly funded services.

Are TRC Calls to Action legally binding on corporations?

The TRC Calls to Action are not directly enforceable legislation, but they carry significant legal and regulatory weight. UNDRIP adoption through Bill C-15 gives some calls legal backing. Government procurement policies, Indigenous partnership agreements, and ESG investment frameworks are all incorporating TRC compliance into binding requirements. The trend is clearly toward increasing legal obligation.

What is Free Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) and does it apply to my company?

FPIC is the right of Indigenous peoples to give or withhold consent to projects that affect their lands, territories, and resources — before those projects proceed. Under UNDRIP, adopted into Canadian law through Bill C-15, FPIC applies to any organization whose activities affect Indigenous peoples’ rights or territories. For resource, infrastructure, and development companies operating in Canada, FPIC compliance is increasingly a regulatory requirement for project approvals.

How does a Powwow Times presentation help meet TRC Call to Action 92?

Call to Action 92 requires corporations to provide employee education on Indigenous history, UNDRIP, treaties, and Aboriginal-Crown relations. A Powwow Times Indigenous cultural presentation covers all of these topics in a live, facilitated session with documented content. We provide a written post-session summary noting which specific Calls to Action the session addresses — suitable for board reporting and compliance documentation.

What is the difference between token reconciliation and genuine reconciliation in a corporate context?

Token reconciliation is performative — land acknowledgments read without understanding, orange shirts worn once a year, diversity reports listing Indigenous employee percentages. Genuine reconciliation changes systems, policies, and behaviors. It means employees who understand the history, leaders who make decisions aligned with Indigenous rights, and organizations that build authentic relationships with Indigenous communities. Powwow Times presentations are designed to move organizations from token to genuine reconciliation.

How do I report TRC compliance to my board or shareholders?

Document your organization’s actions against specific TRC Calls to Action in an annual reconciliation progress report. For employee training, record session dates, attendance numbers, topics covered, and the specific Calls to Action addressed. Powwow Times provides post-session documentation that makes this reporting straightforward. Include your reconciliation action plan, progress metrics, and next-year commitments to demonstrate sustained, not episodic, engagement.