Statement made on 24 March 2009 by Senator Serge Joyal
Hon. Serge Joyal:
Honourable senators will remember that on June 11, 2008, this house was privileged to host the representatives of the Aboriginal peoples of Canada on the day that formal apologies were presented on behalf of the Government of Canada by the Right Honourable Stephen Harper, and we had an opportunity to listen to the testimony of the Aboriginal leaders.
At the conclusion of that hearing, we asked if they would receive favourably an invitation to appear in a year and testify again on the progress made during that year on the repair of the damages, the compensation and all the initiatives that had to be taken with respect to the damages that the Aboriginal people of Canada endured in the 100 years that the residential school system lasted. Many of those leaders expressed their concern and accepted the opportunity to come forward to testify.
This motion is an invitation extended to them. The Senate Chamber is at its brightest time when we are in Committee of the Whole because there is a free flow of questions on both sides. It is always well managed. We can even consider being televised. It is not part of the motion, but perhaps the leaders on both sides can discuss that possibility at a later date.
It speaks to the Senate's concern about ensuring that the Aboriginal leaders have the capacity to report on the progress and that we have an opportunity to question them to see where additional help can be provided to them.
That is essentially the scope of the motion. It will be done as usual and on a non-partisan basis. Senators benefit from the presence within our walls of seven learned Aboriginal senators who have had responsibility in the past to their people and who are in the best position to question and to help us to understand where we are in terms of repairing the damage inflicted, and to determine the scope that we want to have in the future.