Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Over the weekend I was thinking about this day because of a motion that was read in the House last week. I was thinking about the students that we are thinking about. I was thinking about the parents who are not here today with us, parents who put their trust in the hands of the church, the government, either by sending the children to residential schools or if the parents were so scared that when the children were taken from the community, such as my uncle, when they heard the boat coming in and stopping in Tulita, they would run to the bushes and they would hide. The RCMP or the Indian agent or the priest would go up there to the house and take these kids.

Sometimes these kids would be taken away, they would be crying, not sure how long they’d go or how far they would go. I remember my uncle telling me they took him to Fort Providence and they tried to walk back to Tulita after a couple of months and weeks in Fort Providence. They didn’t think they would last there long because of the situation. They weren’t told what was going to happen to them. Anyhow, my uncle said they stayed in Providence for years and years and they came back for awhile and later on the boat came back to pick them up and he said this time he told his dad he’s not going and he took off in the bush.

Those types of impacts I hear from my people. I hear people who are talking, families who were

devastated, tormented, families who had a lot of pain. Mr. Speaker, today is the day of healing and reconciliation. It means that people need to learn about forgiveness. I found it very hard. My grandmother was taken away for about nine years and she stayed in Hay River. Yet, she still showed me the power of forgiveness. She even went to church every day. I kept telling her, Grannie, why do you go? She said you have to learn how to forgive.

Thank you, Grannie, for teaching me how to forgive. Mahsi.