Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We only have to watch the news; it is often charged with stories of racism. The last four years of government in the United States has shown us the reality of racism when it is allowed to rear its ugly head from the shadows without consequence. It showed us what happens when those inner feelings and beliefs that one is superior are allowed to surface and be liberated. People are now finding racism acceptable, and some are wearing it as a badge of honour.
Mr. Speaker, the enthusiasm of the racial divide in the United States spilled over into Canada and charged both sides of the debate. We as Canadians, although more accepting, continue to have a facet of the population that believes racism in Canada is exaggerated and that everyone has the same opportunity and is treated equally. In the NWT, we as Indigenous people know this, in fact, is not reality.
The NWT is predominantly Indigenous peoples. We have a government that is predominantly Indigenous, and we still fall short in the make-up of our workforce, in our education levels, in our access to business opportunities, and treatment when seeking medical and other services. This shortfall can be attributed to a number of reasons, with racism being one of them.
For some of us who have been in the North longer than others, we have seen and experienced the effects of what racism can do, both subtly and in its extreme form. When we look at the statistics related to the number of Indigenous children going into foster care, the number of Indigenous people being incarcerated, the number of Indigenous people who are victims of violent crimes, the number of missing and murdered Indigenous women, we see a pattern that proves our system continues to fail Indigenous people. This failure commenced years ago through racist government policy.
Mr. Speaker, how do we eliminate racism? Realistically, it will never be resolved, but it does not mean we give up the fight to lessen the harm it causes to those on the receiving end. As individuals and as a collective, we need to speak up against racism when we see or hear it, listen to others if we are to understand their pain, be respectful to others as one day it may be you looking for the same respect, be accepting, and, most importantly, be willing to help others. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.