That's a really tough one. Again, we're saying we know we have jurisdiction. We know, and it's about building that relationship so we can work together. I don't like to get caught up in the words of reconciliation and all those things. The way I see it, we have to be one. Even though we're totally separate in our identities, as to who we are, we are part of Canada. We have to be part of you; you have to be part of us. You are connected to us.
When we get into all those words and all those things, we have to forget about those words and really focus on what it means, and not identify specific words as to how we relate to one another. In terms of our purpose here, we're not here to be totally separate all the time as indigenous people. Who I am as an indigenous person is who I am. I'm connected.
We always identify ourselves as to where we're from. That is our connection to the land and the water, and that's our jurisdiction. That's who we are. We're part of our ancestors. We're part of you, so you are part of us now, whether you want to be or not. I know a lot of people don't want to be, but we're here to look after one another. We're here to move in this world now as a unit, because without the ability to do that, we are going to have so much conflict and so much wasted time and energy and so many wasted dollars that we will be doing more harm than any good.
If we can always find this way, if you can respect me for who I am as an indigenous person, where my ancestors lie, from this country.... My connection to the Algonquin people is strong. I feel them here today. I feel them standing with me. That's how I am. I want to be part of all of you in order to have survival for our future generations. To me, it's that serious. We need to be a unit, not with just Canada but the other nations as well. I know that's a huge challenge, but we have to start here. We have to have that ability, your respect. Hear my voice and listen to it with meaning.
I'm not here telling you what to do or how to do it. I'm here to help you.