I have a question for you that I'm going to embed in a bit of a reflection. We still have a long way to go. I agree with you. I grew up in Morinville, near Alexander First Nation. My grandmother worked at the Youville Home in St. Albert. I now represent Edmonton Centre, just south of there. about a month ago, a woman went home to her apartment building in St. Albert. Tacked to the door was a warning that said, "You and your little kids had better leave because you're not welcome here, and if you don't leave there's going to be violence."
She's indigenous, and she had five kids living in an apartment complex. The people in that complex, the white people and indigenous people in that complex said that she and her kids did not belong in St. Albert, off the rez.
We need this day. We need a day to commemorate. We need a day to celebrate or we're not going to get where we need to be as a people.
Now here is my question to you. When you're an elder many decades from now—I'm going to say many, that's my prerogative—what would you hope we will have achieved with this commemoration day? What will the children be able to tell their children and grandchildren when we get this right?