Thank you very much, Chair.
Please stand, everybody.
Creator, we give thanks for this beautiful day in Ottawa and this opportunity for us to come together in the spirit of friendship, kinship, community, collaboration and reconciliation.
Creator, we ask for your guidance as we make our deliberations today, say what we have to say and hear questions from our committee here.
Creator, this is an important conversation today, as many of our communities struggle with the basics of conditions that many people in Canada enjoy.
Creator, we ask that you help us with this cause, encourage everyone here to do what we can and endeavour to create a better tomorrow for indigenous people in our communities.
Creator, we ask, also, that you encourage us to become the embodiment of our seven sacred teachings and to always show humility, honesty, respect, truth, courage, wisdom and, most importantly, love for one another.
Msit no'kmaq.
Thank you.