I would like to thank all of the honourable colleagues and all here today for allowing me to put this motion forward through unanimous consent.
It is something that is affecting almost all of the people of the Northwest Territories, because I believe that over half of our population has been affected by the residential school system. It was something that was imposed upon our aboriginal people — and not only aboriginal people, Mr. Speaker, it was anybody that lived in the North through the laws of the eras of the ’40s, ’50s, ’60s. It was actually mandated law that children must be in school. Because of the vastness of the Northwest Territories, they were actually forcibly taken from their communities and forced into central school systems.
To me, I attended those schools, too, Mr. Speaker. I was forced to go to these schools. And I never did understand the reason why I had to be away from family life. And it was the same for many, many people that entered these systems as well. But today I understand that it was a mandated law. And both through school…. I went to the Lester B. Pearson College of the Pacific in B.C.
In some of my research, I was researching colonialism. And the policies of the day are exactly from the colonialist policies of the past that were instituted here in the Northwest Territories. I often tell people that the people in power, the government of the day, had 300 years experience in Africa before they came over to North America
and instituted the same old colonial policies which, by and large, still exist today.
Just in terms of destroying a whole way of life, a whole people, I was really affected. And it’s only now that there’s been a resurgence of aboriginal rights and identity and wanting to show the world our culture — that it was once a vibrant, viable economy, culture and people. And we still are today. We’re an integral part of Canada.
I believe that the longer the Government of Canada takes to apologize to the aboriginal peoples of this country, it keeps the healing and reconciliation that has to happen on the back burner. It keeps us away a lot longer from the healing of the tragedy of our past, Mr. Speaker.
By and large, through the common experience payments and the residential school payments that have been happening over the last six months or so, that is recognition by the Government of Canada that there was a wrong and that they should apologize for it. I don’t see why they have to go through one more stage in order to do that.
I was really happy to see that in Australia, they had a huge ceremony at the opening of their House just two weeks ago. They had their Aborigines; they had their culture; they had their hand drumming; they had music. And there was great, great fanfare of finally recognizing a wrong by their government and working towards healing and closing the gap of their tragedy as well.
And indeed it’s a tragedy of ours. This chapter of our life should have some closure — not only to close the door but a closure in the sense of recognition that this type of incident, of activity that happened, of residential schools, of forcing people into the residential schools, should never, ever happen again. I believe that part of that apology should say that.
As well, as I travel about as an MLA for the past four years, people ask me about this residential school system and how it impacts us. People really didn’t understand what really happened. To me, that’s because it was such a sad chapter in our history that it wasn’t even in our history books. I don’t believe that even in our school systems, people are made aware of the impact and the things that they’ve done to our people to try to erase from us the memories of our proud and historic past.
Today we’re a proud nation. And we want to share that pride with all Canadians. This is one step in doing it. I believe the apology is important as well as to ensure that it never happens again and to ensure that everybody knows the story of what really happened.
So it really touches me to have this motion debated and spoken in this House. I look forward to full support when this vote comes for this motion, Mr. Speaker. Mahsi cho.