Collectively, we are in mourning, as a country. With the heartbreaking and shameful realities of the Residential School System coming to light over the past month, many in our community are asking themselves what to do this Canada Day. It certainly doesn’t feel like a time of celebration.

Sadly, the news of the “discoveries” of the 215 remains of Indigenous children on the grounds of the Kamloops Indian Residential School and the 751 unmarked graves from Cowessess First Nation in Saskatchewan, are not discoveries, but confirmations of the “knowings” these communities have had for a long time.

Thousands of Indigenous children who were often forcibly removed from their families and communities and sent to Residential School never returned home. Families and communities have been searching for them ever since. Survivors of the Residential School system have held knowledge that has led to discovery of the sites in Kamloops and in Marieval. There will be many more as this difficult but important work continues. The Government of Canada will support this work, that must be Indigenous led.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s findings reflect at minimum 3,200 Indigenous children who died while attending Residential School. Experts acknowledge this is only reflective of those who were documented, and estimate this number could be much higher.

It is important that we, as Canadians, finally see the colonial legacy of our relationship with Indigenous Peoples and why Reconciliation is so vitally important for all of us – Indigenous and non-Indigenous alike.

The Residential School system is a shameful and dark part of Canada. It is part of who we are and we must reckon with that history, from all levels of Government to our educational and religious institutions and to the individual level. We all have a role and duty on the path to true reconciliation.

I was privileged to go on a tour of the former Mohawk Institute Residential School in Brantford, ON, where many Six Nations children and Indigenous children were forced to attend. It operated from 1831 to 1970. It was a devastating experience.  As the guide walked me through and explained how these innocent children were treated and what happened to them while they were there, I couldn’t help but feel an overwhelming amount of shame and horror that this happened, here in Canada, 40 minutes down the road from where I grew up. That this was official Government policy. The emotional, physical, sexual, and cultural abuse perpetrated in these institutions is unimaginable for most Canadians. But we cannot ignore that it happened.

This is our shameful and uncomfortable history in Canada. Our present still sees disparities between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people; it was why our Government committed $18 billion in this year’s budget to close these financing gaps. Indigenous peoples are significantly overrepresented in our judicial system and continue to experience significant discrimination in the child welfare system. While we have made important steps to fix these injustices, we have more to do. It is why I am personally committed to reconciliation. I didn’t – we didn’t- properly learn this history when I was in school. We all have a collective responsibility to learn this history now to better understand our present and chart our future.

 I hope the shocking and horrific realities we are seeing daily on the news, the stories of persistence and resilience that survivors of residential school are sharing, will help us all to confront the past, acknowledge the wrongs, and work for a better present and future.

 This Canada Day is an opportunity for us to reflect on our country. To celebrate the good but also to challenge our perceptions of the past and confront the uncomfortable truths of the present. That is not unpatriotic, it’s called growth.

 If you would like to learn more about the Residential School System, I invite you to read the Reports, read through the TRC resources on their website and the 92 Calls to Action.

 I also invite you to read the final report of the Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.

For many, my family included, Canada has been a sanctuary. Having survived genocide, my family found refuge here in Canada. For that I am privileged and eternally grateful. I have had a wonderful life in Canada, and I am proud to serve in our House of Commons and represent Canada Internationally as Minister of International Development. I also acknowledge and recognize that Canada is not a perfect country. Our history is complex and has not been fair or just to many, particularly Indigenous peoples; our present remains one of reckoning with historic and current injustices. It is with this humility and transparency that we must continue to rectify past wrongs, present inequities and work for a better future.

 This Canada Day, I will be reflecting on our past, our present and how to build a better future. One that strives to uphold the Canada I want all of us to have: one that is inclusive for all, and that is determined to achieve reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. I will be honouring the memory of every Indigenous child who never returned home and those who did, forever changed by the trauma and abuse suffered. I will continue to work so that every child in Canada is treated with dignity, respect, and love. I hope you will join me in doing so.

We now know what our history – and our present – is.

We cannot unknow this. Indigenous peoples have been calling for justice for far too long, it is now up to us to deliver.