Canadian Heritage committee  We all know from any talk from any group of people here in Canada that reconciliation is not going to happen overnight. It's going to take time and commitment, but it also is going to need support to create those spaces for people who ask, “What can I do?” When I talked to the 16- and 17-year-olds, that was a question that dumbfounded me.

Canadian Heritage committee  —about being male and having equal rights for people. That's what they're being taught. They're taught about bullying not being good. They have a whole new set of values, and these are the values I think we need to be strong and stand up for.

Canadian Heritage committee  Absolutely. My elders have told me that they're just ecstatic that the federal government would even look at and consider this. It would be great to have it in June, but if September is going to be picked, we're very happy too. It's important that we don't lose focus. The other thing I want to mention is that in a lot of meetings I have gone to, we take examples from New Zealand.

Canadian Heritage committee  Thanks, everyone. Thanks for having me again. [Witness speaks in indigenous language] I'm very glad and honoured to have a chance here to discuss this, and I have two different messages in my presentation, one coming from my regional perspective and the other speaking on behalf of my national executive.

Canadian Heritage committee  This bill is advocating for the creation of this national holiday. Creating a national statutory holiday for indigenous people will assist in promoting reconciliation. In my role as regional chief, I have seen first-hand the power of this day when we bring people together. We had the Grand-Pré peace and friendship gathering last year, where we brought together the Acadian community as one form of reconciliation—how would we interact, how can we know each other?

Canadian Heritage committee  We wanted to make sure we don't stay silent on this issue because it's very important, but at the same time we also take direction from our assembly. With this bill, come December, it's definitely something we're going to talk about as an assembly so that some resolution can come from it.

Canadian Heritage committee  Yes, I understand. I think the whole objective has been out of sight and out of mind all this time. Sometimes it's not sexy to talk about this kind of stuff, but it's very important, especially when we're in a period of reconciliation.

Canadian Heritage committee  I'd just like to make one more comment. I just want to mention a quick story for my wrap-up of why it's so important to tell my story as a Mi'kmaq person and have the artifacts to help me tell the correct story. We were influenced so much during the time when our ceremonies and everything else were looked at as witchcraft.

Canadian Heritage committee  I just got on the phone this morning about the Smithsonian and the position of the CMM. There are some artifacts that cannot be moved. There is a sweat lodge with branches and everything that are preserved. If you move those, they will fall apart. They are frail. It has to be a co-development.

Canadian Heritage committee  If you don't mind, I will go first. I think it's a very important question, the whole thing, and telling our story. Canada is doing the right stuff in reconciliation, giving that space an opportunity for making a new relationship with indigenous people. Education is lacking. We all went to school.

Canadian Heritage committee  Yes. If you look at the other acts, for instance, we're co-operating with the language act and making it work in education. The whole principle and foundation of our work is to have co-development, to make sure we are involved. We have tons of expertise across the country. We have the information of those experts.

Canadian Heritage committee  It's right in my notes here earlier that there was a conference to bring repatriation from the Smithsonian museum. They have over 800 items of Mi'kmaq property there, but they're working with the Confederacy of Mainland Mi'kmaq on a loan basis, so there are systems and things that are....

Canadian Heritage committee  I think the federal government can be involved by making sure about those international contacts. In terms of the assembly of Nova Scotia chiefs, there's regalia of the Nova Scotia chiefs in Australia. We can't bring it back, because they want to make sure we're going to take care of it properly.

Canadian Heritage committee  Thank you so much. [Witness speaks in indigenous language] Thank you so much for having me this morning. I am very glad to be here on the unceded territory of the Algonquin nation, a proud Mi'kmaq from Nova Scotia. My good friend is here, our MP Andy Fillmore. I have worked on some projects with him.