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For generations, many Indigenous groups and communities have celebrated their culture and heritage on or around June 21, according to the , as this time of year is significant due to the summer solstice being the longest day of the year.

In 1982, the National Indian Brotherhood, now the Assembly of First Nations, called for the creation of National Aboriginal Solidarity Day. In 1995, the Sacred Assembly called for a national holiday to celebrate the contributions of Indigenous peoples.

June 21 was proclaimed as National Aboriginal Day in 1996 by then Gov.-Gen. Roméo LeBlanc. In 2017, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the federal government’s intention to rename the day as National Indigenous Peoples Day. The government has been referring to it as such since.

Who gets the day off?

National Indigenous Peoples Day is observed as a statutory holiday in the Northwest Territories and Yukon, but not anywhere else in Canada.