Canada Day is a time for reflection, education and action

July 1, 2021

TORONTO — Mike Schreiner released the following statement on Canada Day:

“Canada Day is a time for reflection, education and action.

The recent discovery of unmarked graves at the sites of former residential schools across the country is a disturbing and tragic reminder of the horrific legacy and present day reality of colonialism and systemic racism.

Genocide is part of Canada’s history. We must take time to reflect on the reality of Canada’s colonial past and present, including the atrocious history of residential schools.

And we must take action.

That’s why this Canada Day I’m calling on the Ontario Government to:

• Provide the necessary funding to support Indigenous-led searches for lost children at each residential school site in the province;
• Legislate a day of mourning and remembrance for those lost and for survivors of residential schools, with planning led by Indigenous peoples;
• Institute the Indigenous curriculum writing session that Ford cancelled in 2018 to include more Indigenous content and the history of residential schools; and
• Ensure Indigenous peoples have access to clean drinking water, affordable housing, equitable health and social services, and job opportunities.

On Canada Day we must also look forward to building the type of province and future we want for generations to come.

We must embrace the Seventh Generation Principle and commit to making decisions today that will create a more sustainable world seven generations from now.

Decisions that create a better Ontario for people as well as the planet.

Canada Day is a time for reflection, education and action. We must accept the truth of the past and correct the wrongs of the present so that we can build a better Ontario and Canada for generations to come.”

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