Madam Chair, my apologies for that.
As I was saying, many of these children who were victims of abuse fled the schools and died alone as they tried desperately to get back to their parents. Many know the story of Chanie Wenjack, a young Ojibway boy from Martin Falls who, at the age of 12, attempted to escape from a residential school in Kenora. He tragically succumbed to the conditions and died in his attempt to get back home.
The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation states that over 70 indigenous youth died while at residential schools in the Kenora area. We also know that many families were treated with contempt in their time of grief. Parents of these young victims were routinely denied information about how their children died and were not able to reclaim their bodies to say a proper goodbye.
For the reasons I have highlighted and many others, residential school survivors and their descendants continue to live with the trauma of their experiences. Canada's Parliament needs to show our commitment to reconciliation. As I understand it, the government is currently deliberating on what next steps should be taken.
Yesterday, the Leader of the Opposition respectfully submitted recommendations for some of the actions the government could take to assist communities in this time of sorrow. We recommend developing a comprehensive plan to implement TRC calls to action 71 to 76 by July 1; funding the investigation at all former residential schools in Canada where unmarked graves may exist, including the site in Kamloops; ensuring that proper resources are allocated for communities to reinter, commemorate and honour any individuals discovered, according to their wishes; and developing a detailed set of resources to educate Canadians of all ages on the tragic history of residential schools.
I note that the aspect of education is one that I believe is greatly important. I am the youngest member of Parliament, and I am likely one of the few who did learn a bit about residential schools during my education. However, it was not until I was nearing the end of high school that I truly began to learn some of the horrors and some of the true history that had gone on.
I remember feeling a sense of shame and a sense of embarrassment, for lack of a better word, that even though so many of these horrific incidents occurred just down the street from where I lived and grew up, I had no idea about them until I was nearing the end of high school. That is completely unacceptable, and I believe that is why we need to continue to have a stronger focus on education for all Canadians, especially young Canadians.
I know my time is drawing to a close, so I will just say that it is my hope that the government gives sincere consideration to the proposals that our party has outlined. I look forward to seeing what other actions it may take. It is tremendously important that all of us in this chamber work together on this issue and work across partisan lines.