I'll say that I thank them for their work, but I'm excited that they, and we, have the opportunity to send a clear message. That message is that the systemic racism and failures in the past to ensure indigenous representation stop today. It stops with this commission. It stops with this precedent that says never again will indigenous people feel like they're an afterthought. Never again will indigenous people feel that they're purposefully being removed, because we make a decision today, at the start of this process with Nova Scotia, that says indigenous representation is important.
If there is a decision that impacts an indigenous community, they have the right to be heard. “Nothing about us without us” is the premise that indigenous communities have stated over and over again. They have an opportunity to right this wrong. I hope they turn their minds to doing that.