Mr. Speaker, I also wanted to speak in support of this initiative, to dedicate a day that we recognize and honour the people who went through the residential school system.
Mr. Speaker, I am from the community of Fort Providence, that had a mission from the late 1800s to, I think, into the 1970s. The Sacred Heart Mission was located in Fort Providence. Many, many students from across the NWT, across the Mackenzie Valley, attended this school. Many, many students came as orphans; some came at a very young age. Recently, I was quite pleased to see the hamlet of Fort Providence erect some headstones, or a dedication to the number of children who passed away while they were in the residential school.
I've grown up in the community, where I've heard, practically on a daily basis, the stories and discussion about the mission experience. As Mr. Menicoche has indicated, there was a lot of anger. A lot of these youth, now that the facility has been torn down, have not seen this building. It was demolished before they were born, yet there are lingering effects.
I was quite happy to see, and quite proud, that the Fort Providence people who went to the residential school in the community from across the region, from Fort Simpson, from Liard and other places, even including the South, have come together. They've formed the Fort Providence Residential School Society, and they're taking the approach where they're not looking to be compensated, they're not looking to be pointing fingers or blame, but they're looking at ways that they can heal themselves so that they can become part of society. They hold workshops; they hold on-the-land gatherings; they hold dances; they do a lot of things to try to deal with the many, many issues that involve the residential school.
Other people are quite happy with the experience that they had at residential schools. But for the most part, Mr. Speaker, I want to support this motion because it recognizes that there was an experience, good or bad, that happened in our history, and it also gives a chance to recognize that there was this that was in our history, and to take part in the discussions and reflect and acknowledge that it happened. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.