In partnership with the Survivors Circle of the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, this series of stamps seeks to raise awareness about residential schools and the legacy of trauma and abuse that continues to have an impact on Indigenous Peoples today.

The Survivors Circle selected the Bentwood Box (Medicine Box) to be featured on this year’s stamps in this ongoing series.

A lasting tribute to all residential school Survivors, the Bentwood Box is a symbol of healing, reconciliation and hope.

Good to know

The 2025 Truth and Reconciliation stamp issue also includes a booklet of 6 Permanent™ domestic rate stamps, including two of each of the three designs in the set.
The Official First Day Cover is cancelled in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

About the Truth and Reconciliation stamp issue

Canada Post is committed to listening to Indigenous voices and to using these stamps as a vehicle for Survivors to share the truth of their experiences so that we can support the process of reconciliation and, ultimately, healing, as we move forward.

Canada Post thanks the Survivors Circle of the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation for their guidance throughout this process.

About the Bentwood Box (Medicine Box)

Commissioned by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) in 2009, the Bentwood Box (Medicine Box) travelled with the TRC to its eight national events. People placed sacred items into the box to symbolize their spiritual journey toward healing and as gestures of truth and reconciliation. These included thousands of items from across the country, such as photographs, reports, books, drums, knitted baby blankets and beaded regalia.

The box was crafted by Coast Salish artist Luke Marston in the traditional style from a single piece of sacred old-growth red cedar. Its carved panels feature artistic styles and imagery that represent the distinct cultures of First Nations, Métis and Inuit who attended residential schools.

During the TRC’s work, the box gathered the voices and experiences of those impacted by Canada’s residential school system, ensuring their stories were honoured and remembered. After being housed temporarily at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg, Manitoba, it now resides at the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation in the same city. The Bentwood Box is a powerful symbol that reminds Canadians of the need to confront the past, work toward healing and hold hope for future generations.

About the design

The front of Official First Day cover depicts the panel of the Bentwood Box that relates Inuit experiences at residential schools. The northern lights and the stars beyond represent Inuit ancestors and teachings. Students were separated from this knowledge while at residential schools.

Seen on the back of the OFDC, the carving of Thunderbird on the back panel of the Bentwood Box proclaims the strong voices of Indigenous Peoples. Learning the truth about historic abuse and injustice in Canada is essential to true reconciliation.

The Official First Day Cover is cancelled on September 29 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, the location of the NCTR, which houses the Bentwood Box. The cancel references both the woodgrain and curves seen in the carvings on the box.

Product # 414300131

Truth and Reconciliation (2025): Official First Day Cover