Children’s shoes and moccasins.

A teddy bear.

Flowers.

Those are what surrounds the Centennial Flame, just steps away from this House, to honour the Indigenous children who never returned home because of the residential school system.

Those tiny shoes should not have to be there.

Because children should never have been taken away to those so-called schools – places where they were separated from their families and their communities, places where they faced terrible loneliness, places where they suffered unthinkable abuse.

Today, some of the children who were found in Kamloops – and who have yet to be found in other places across the country – would have been grandparents or great-grandparents.

They would have been Elders, Knowledge Keepers, and community leaders.

They are not.

And that is the fault of Canada.

Our country failed the hundreds of children buried at the former residential school in Kamloops.

Our country failed their families and the communities they were torn from.

And our country failed every child that suffered the injustices of these terrible institutions across the country.

That is the truth. And we cannot close our eyes and ignore that.

Mr. Speaker, what we know is that the discovery in Kamloops is part of a larger tragedy, and that from coast to coast to coast, many children forced into the residential school system disappeared without a trace.

We know that the harm caused by the legacy of these institutions plays out today in the intergenerational trauma so many families must deal with.

And we know that Indigenous peoples still face racism, systemic discrimination, and unacceptable injustices.

To all those who are suffering – I am so sorry that this country failed you. 

We must make sure that this kind of systemic failure never happens again.

Survivors, families, and communities must be at the centre of any efforts to repair the harm done by residential schools.

Today, I renew my pledge to right past wrongs, to support the healing of survivors, families, and communities, and to walk with you on this difficult reconciliation journey.

Mr. Speaker, the residential school system was only one piece of a larger colonial policy designed to erase language and culture, to assimilate Indigenous communities so that they no longer existed as distinct peoples.

We recognize that, and we are committed to addressing that.

Earlier today, I spoke with National Chief Perry Bellegarde and Chief Rosanne Casimir of the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation.

Chief Casimir expressed to me this: that all Canadians must stand in solidarity and ensure that these tragic stories are never forgotten.

And as I told her, and the National Chief, we are here as a partner to move forward on what communities need.

As we continue to implement the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action, we have put in place the legislation and support for Indigenous communities to revitalize and strengthen Indigenous languages and culture.

This is about ensuring that every First Nation, Inuit, and Métis child grows up proud of who they are.

Mr. Speaker, the lessons of the residential school system must not go unlearned. We must remember this terrible legacy and, every single day, work to do better.

We reaffirm our support for communities to find their missing children.

Saying sorry for the tragedies of the past is not enough.

It is not enough for the children who died, for the families, or for the survivors and communities.

Only with our actions can we choose a better path.

And that is what our government will always try to do.

Miigwetch. Kinanaskomitin. Mashi cho. Gilakas’la. Tshinashkumitinau. Nakummek.

Thank you.