That's an excellent question. I apologize for not speaking in French.
I wrote an article today on that very issue. Of course the Truth and Reconciliation Commission released 94 calls to action, and those were obligations on governments and civil society, but in my opinion, truth and reconciliation is everybody's obligation. You and I have a role to play in that. It's decolonizing your thoughts.
In this committee, when you go back and you reflect on our testimonies and read the reports, you deconstruct. I went to law school. I have formal colonial education, so I am consistently trying to decolonize those thoughts.
I'm going to share a story with you briefly, honourable Chair. I was in a meeting and I was humiliated, but that's a part of truth and reconciliation. I had said to a chief that the Supreme Court of Canada said whatever it was they said, and I said, “That's the law. That's the reality.” The chief looked at me and said, “Yes, according to the Supreme Court of Canada.”
We have to question these things. We have to decolonize our thoughts and what we knew. That's the process of truth and reconciliation. It's not supposed to be easy. It's supposed to be hard. It's supposed to be reflective.
I ask everyone on September 30 to reflect, to question things that you took for granted your entire life. That's not easy, but that's all we can ask of you.
I want everyone to remember we're all in this together. We're all fighting the same fight, so we need to lean on each other, and we need to grieve. I think grieving is a part of truth and reconciliation as well. I know the council of truth and reconciliation has an interactive map. I encourage everyone to look at that map, to look at how plentiful residential schools were, and to look at the facts therein and have an intimate knowledge of that, and grieve that. Then, go back to committee, read your reports with that lens and question what you always took for granted. Like I said, it's not easy, but it's worthwhile.
Thank you.