Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Welcome, Minister. It's certainly good to see you join us here today.
It's also very good to see that the government is working with indigenous people rather than against them as we've seen so many times in our history.
Mr. Minister, I think you know that the Northwest Territories has been dealing with a lot of very serious challenges. A recent report found that one in five homes in the territories was in need of major repairs. In some communities, it's up to 60%. The people in Fort Good Hope are dealing with the aftermath of multiple stabbings last month that left one resident dead. Just this past week, the chief coroner released new data showing that there's been a dramatic increase in the number of suicides this year in the Beaufort Delta. The community of Tuktoyaktuk alone has seen four deaths in the last three months.
At the root of these problems, in my view, is the ongoing impact of colonialism and also the intergenerational trauma from the residential school system. It's no coincidence that the Northwest Territories has the highest rate of residential school survivors per capita.
I want to ask you if you could explain how the work of the national council for reconciliation will ensure that Canada does the work necessary to address these issues.