Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have had a bit of time to reflect on my feelings on the news of finding of the 215 Indigenous children buried in unmarked graves at the Kamloops Indian Residential School grounds. It's heartbreaking to hear, but it's not shocking because as an Indigenous person, many of us have heard stories of what our parents, grandparents, great-grandparents have told us and what they've had to endure.

It was the Canadian government who created these policies to try to eradicate Indigenous people, to take over their land, and they continue to try and control them through legislation like the Indian Act.

Mr. Speaker, we are left with the horrific history of residential school and the impacts of our people, the lack of respect for our women and girls, which is now a national crisis; Indigenous men, who are overrepresented in jails throughout Canada; our children are apprehended and continue to be removed from their homes and families in large numbers today.

Mr. Speaker, when the final report of the MMIWG was released, it was debated as to the use of the word "genocide". It insulted me that someone could question this, but because we are Indigenous, we are considered less-than. We are not.

Mr. Speaker, genocide is defined as a deliberate and systemic destruction of a group of people because of their ethnicity, nationality, religion, or race. I don't know what else this policy could be considered as. But, Mr. Speaker, we are still here today. We are strong and resilient and will remain here in our home on our land and continue to combat the racism, to teach those who are unaware of our history so that this is never forgotten and never repeated.

May God rest their little souls. Quyananni, Mr. Speaker.