Madam Chair, I just want to comment on something that another member said earlier, noting that the residential school in Kamloops had been run by a Catholic entity.
Obviously for those of us who are Catholic, it is deeply painful to see the way in which the principles of our church, the values of our church, were betrayed by people who abused children in that context.
I also want to put on the record that Pope Benedict, the last pope, did apologize in 2009 to indigenous leaders. I know there is a request for a pope to apologize on Canadian soil, and that has not happened yet. Of course, the pope has not been to Canada since the TRC made that request. I suspect the issue would be addressed in the future, in a papal visit.
However, it is important to put on the record that this apology has been put forward by the pope, as well as all the Catholic entities involved, and that all of us, people of faith and legislators, need to do all we can to work together to promote reconciliation.