Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, 20 years ago the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples issued its report. One of its key findings and subsequent recommendations was that education on Indigenous history be recognized as essential to reconciliation.
That is still true, Mr. Speaker, and we still have a long way to go. I recently learned about an educational program that grew out of the findings of the Royal Commission, and it is one I would like to see more in the Northwest Territories communities. In the KAIROS Blanket Exercise, participants join in an interactive crash course on 500 years of Indigenous history.
The exercise integrates physical movement, walking over blankets that represent traditional lands, with reading and role-playing to personally engage participants with the ongoing history of European colonization. Program designers also highlight the importance of working with local Indigenous groups to deliver the program and the need to engage with and learn from local elders.
Earlier this year, a blanket exercise session took place here in Yellowknife, with non-Indigenous participants reporting a profound change in their perspectives, Mr. Speaker. One told CBC, "Reconciliation is not something that just happens. The government doesn't create a reconciliation portfolio and then it's done. It's something that we as individuals and communities and collectively," Mr. Speaker, "our countries have to be willing to do."
My questions today will be for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment to explore how this exercise might be integrated into both teacher training and the territorial curriculum. However, Mr. Speaker, there is value in this exercise for every Northerner, and those in public service, including this Legislative Assembly, could surely benefit, as well. Quyanainni, Mr. Speaker.