Mr. Speaker, September 30 is National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. This day of reflection and remembrance is an opportunity to walk together with indigenous peoples toward healing and reconciliation in Canada.
We must begin by acknowledging the painful history that has brought us to where we are today.
For centuries, indigenous peoples endured colonization, the residential school system, and the loss of their land, language and culture. It is a history we must continue to confront head on, unlike the combative and aggressive words used by the leader of the Conservatives, when he said, “Canada's aboriginals need to learn the value of hard work more than they need compensation for the abuse suffered in residential schools.” Those are the cold, harsh views that have set back progress of indigenous peoples for generations.
We must never forget the atrocities of residential schools and their generational trauma that still linger in this country. Let us stand united in our commitment to truth, to reconciliation and to a better Canada for all people.