Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as a child, my summers were often spent traveling around British Columbia and Alberta with my family in our old Econoline van. Whenever we passed through Kamloops, my mom never failed to point out in a sombre voice the ominous brick building on the river, the residential school. As a child, I had no idea what that meant. My school experience was of an encouraging place full of books and wonder, where my biggest concern was a stolen eraser.

25 years later, after moving north, while I was waiting at the Greenstone building, I started speaking with an elder who was there for his settlement cheque. That, at the age of 29, was the first time I'd spoken to anyone about what had been done to "remove the Indian from the child", the first time I heard directly from a victim about the atrocities committed during the formation of the kind, benevolent Canada I'd grown up with, the first time I was aware of the lie I had been fed since birth.

Residential schools operated in Canada for over 120 years with Indigenous children taken from their families and loved ones, sent hundreds of kilometres away, and beaten and abused in the most horrific ways imaginable.

Last week, the discovery of the remains of 215 children at the Kamloops Indian Residential School was made by the Tk'emlups te Secwepemc First Nation. This discovery has shocked Canadians. However, how could anyone who's been paying attention be shocked?

The NWT had the highest percentage of students in residential schools in Canada. The legacy of this is huge, as many of our current social, health, and educational challenges faced in the Northwest Territories can be traced directly to the effects of over 100 years of residential schools.

Our needs are some of the greatest in Canada, yet our response is sorely lacking. No treatment centres for addictions; children still being taken from their parents by CFS; poverty mistaken for neglect; and systemic racism inherent throughout all our processes.

After hearing of the discovery in Kamloops, I feel we must initiate such an investigation in our own territory. 14 residential schools operated in the Northwest Territories with 14 more in Nunavut. If we truly want to have reconciliation in the North, we must return the stolen children to their homes.

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted.