The following statement was read in the House of Assembly today by the Honourable Lisa Dempster, Minister Responsible for Indigenous Affairs and Reconciliation and Minister Responsible for Labrador Affairs:

Speaker, I am pleased to recognize June as National Indigenous History Month.

The history of First Peoples has not been fully told. It’s a history that has been told to us using a Western lens. This is not two-eyed seeing. We can’t change history, but we can go forward, together and collaboratively with Indigenous Governments and Organizations, along a path that involves listening, understanding and mutual respect.

As our government continues to build on a relationship of trust with Indigenous Governments and Organizations, we continue working on a series of actions which honour the culture and history of Indigenous peoples. This includes replacing symbols of racism with symbols of Reconciliation.

National Indigenous History Month presents an opportunity for residents of Newfoundland and Labrador to better understand the traditions, cultures and history that shaped the lives of First Peoples. I encourage everyone to seek out events organized by Indigenous peoples during Come Home 2022, as one opportunity, to become better educated on Indigenous culture and history.

Speaker, we share a responsibility to learn from the experiences that have been passed down through generations of Indigenous peoples and better understand the Indigenous struggles to preserve a way of life in the face of colonialism, conflict, racism and adversity.

Residential Schools are an acute example of one such struggle. We are painfully aware that some students did not survive and the sorrow of these tragedies remains today with survivors, families and communities.

In order to walk the path of Reconciliation with Indigenous peoples, we must learn from history to do better.

Thank you.