Thank you for that question.
I recognize the historical moment this is. I recognize the importance of this. I recognize your passion and emotion, so in answering the question, I understand how important this is not just to you but to indigenous peoples across Canada, and hopefully to non-indigenous Canadians as well.
It is extremely important that indigenous people are able to see themselves in what are, quite frankly, colonial institutions, see their participation as a way of making those institutions better and see this as a way of making Canadian law better by improving the substance of legal decisions. It is incredibly important to have that diversity reflected within the deliberations of those nine justices of the Supreme Court.
However, it's also critically important for everyone else throughout the system to know that this is possible. We have made progress on diversity in appointments. In recent months, I have elevated two people of indigenous background to courts of appeal: Justice Len Marchand in British Columbia and Justice Jonathon George in Ontario.
It is critically important for other indigenous jurists and indigenous people to see that they will be treated seriously in applying to whatever level of bench they apply and that they will be treated seriously in the practice. It also gives a boost to indigenous laws themselves and the revitalization of indigenous legal systems, because it adds to the legitimacy of the revitalization projects that are critically important as we move forward in making Canada a truly pluralistic legal system and in recognizing pluralistic legal systems within Canada and legal systems, normative systems, that have been here since time immemorial.
It's important on so many levels. I'm proud to be here.