The concept of truth and reconciliation commissions was created in the 1980s in Latin America and most famously used in post-apartheid South Africa. Since then, there have been dozens of such commission, which have become a typical way for post-conflict and transitional governments to deal with their past. Canada’s creation of a commission as part of the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement marked a shift to the use of these commissions in liberal democracies. While the commission was the result of Canada’s particular history, the litigation involved in its formation and operation was heavily influenced by the international “duty to remember” and “right to truth.” The integration of these norms into the Canadian court system reflects the evolution of approach to state memory, where truth is not only prescribed by the Crown but can be shaped through people’s involvement in litigation and the judiciary.