“We need a fundamental shift and that shift must begin with dignity for all Indigenous peoples,” said Ms. May. “Every Canadian has a part to play in implementing the recommendations of the inquiry”

The final report, released today, has more than 200 recommendations, including a call for governments and police to develop an effective response to human trafficking, sexual exploitation and violence.

“It means respect, an end to policies of assimilation, and strong support for health and education on and off reserve. It means ending poverty in Canada with a guaranteed liveable income.”

Green Party Indigenous Affair critic, Lorraine Rekmans said: “It must be a priority for any government to empower Indigenous women, girls and gender diverse people to ensure an end to these horrors. We must invest in healing the trauma and empowering women to move forward. These recommendations must be enacted to send clear signals that we all find this situation intolerable.”

Ms. May said that she will read the inquiry’s 1,200-page report and she urged all Canadians to do the same. “My hope is that this report will help us to realize that the issues affecting Indigenous peoples in Canada are complex and cannot be addressed without full recognition of the terrible violence of centuries of assault upon their traditional cultures and values.”

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John Chenery
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Mr. Chair, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission report had a lot of specific calls to action. The hon. member mentioned how many cities meet with chief and council.

I have had occasion, through the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, the big city mayors’ caucus, to hear the Mayor of Winnipeg, Brian Bowman describe some of the things that are going on in Winnipeg and other cities where the municipalities have taken on their share of what they see as a call to action within the Truth and Reconciliation Commission report, and pursued that.

Would the member reflect on those things in his own community? It certainly had impressed me to meet with mayors who, themselves, would say that they have to see these things, look at the medicine wheel, consider healing in these ways, and we really have to be deeply committed to reconciliation. They were not just mouthing the words. I found a deep commitment across much of the municipal order of government leadership across Canada. Does the member have any reflections on that?

Robert-Falcon Ouellette – Winnipeg Centre

Mr. Chair, Mayor Brian Bowman from Winnipeg has done a phenomenal job. I was a candidate against him and I recognize the great work he has done for Winnipeg. We have an aboriginal advisory council. Even our Winnipeg police force has two positions reserved for indigenous peoples in order to build a better understanding.

We had a former police chief, Devon Clunis, who spent an awful lot of time trying to build relationships with indigenous communities, to make sure that they felt the police were not there against them, but that they were there to help them and be protective of them. A lot of work goes into that each and every day in Winnipeg. There is always room for improvement. There are times when the police simply cannot respond to all the requests. Sometimes we have some issues with police response times in Winnipeg.

Nonetheless, they are on the road to trying to build a better society. However, there are so many issues that we face about needing an urban aboriginal strategy, including meth problems, opioid problems, and housing issues. I have 1,400 homeless people in my riding, many of whom were in the care of the state as children. I have 7% of the homeless population in my own riding. It is a dire situation that needs addressing with a whole-of-government approach, which I think the Prime Minister talked about today, as well as many other members in the House.

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