Thank you very much.
I'd like to acknowledge Chief Lonechild.
The worst thing I've heard is that “we don't believe in deathbed conversions”. This is a comment that I think is an inaccurate perception of the actions taken by the chief and FSIN and the assembly of chiefs. I think it's an insensitive response to the restructuring changes the working group has been working on for the past four weeks. And I don't think it's an especially helpful perception of the long-term vision of post-secondary education for aboriginal students.
It's been mentioned that the department of Indian languages and literatures program is unique in Canada. It's unique in more ways than one. It's not simply that books by aboriginal authors are taught. What is significant is that this unit is dedicated to the preservation of languages such as Cree, Saulteaux, Nakota, Dakota, Lakhota, as well as Dene. We all know that the death of a language is the death of a culture. We all know that being prevented from speaking your own language is a crime we hope never to repeat in this country.
Thank you.