Mr. Speaker, I ask all members to join me today in expressing solidarity with the Nuu-chah-nulth people of Tseshaht First Nation after two incidents of racist vandalism at the “Every Child Matters” orange bridge in Port Alberni in just one week. Swastikas and hateful slurs defaced this important site of remembrance.
This was not random vandalism. It was an attack on survivors, on indigenous families, on Jewish communities and on the truth of what happened at the Alberni Indian Residential School. For generations, indigenous children were taken across this bridge from their families. Painting it orange was an act of remembrance, education and reconciliation.
Hate will not erase the truth. I thank the many volunteers who repainted the bridge and showed our community's resolve. We must condemn racism wherever it rears its ugly head in Canada, support education and the hard work of reconciliation, and stand with survivors today and always.