COW - Remarks, The Hon. Marco E.L. Mendicino, P.C., M.P., Senate Committee of the Whole. - June 10, 2021

Bill C-8 - 3rd Reading.

June 10, 2021

Check against delivery

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I appreciate the opportunity to address the honourable Senators, as we continue to address this important Bill.

On December 15th 2015, the Prime Minister accepted the final report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. He paid homage to the people whose lives were so tragically affected by the stories they bravely shared with the commissioners.

The Prime Minister also acknowledged the apology offered to survivors of the residential school system by the previous government, and the responsibility it took in calling the Commission into action.

In the past month, Canadians’ understanding of the suffering endured in these schools has deepened with the appalling news from Kamloops.

On behalf of the Government of Canada, I wish to re-iterate our sincere condolences to the families of those victims and to all Indigenous Peoples, for whom this tragedy and others have been a painful truth for generations.

Mr. Speaker, since 2015, the government has been moving forward in a nation-to-nation relationship, based on recognition, rights, respect, cooperation and partnership.

We believe that an understanding of the history of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis, including information about the treaties and the history of the residential schools, is essential to honour the truth and to contribute to a more inclusive Canada.

Countries, like all human endeavours, are works in progress, evolving incrementally to meet the needs of their peoples. This has very much been the history of our country.

In 1867, Canada was very different from the country we know and live in today. At the time, there was no such status as Canadian citizenship. Newcomers poured in from the British Isles freely and with encouragement, and in most jurisdictions, laws were subject to the rule of Westminster.

The first Parliament to meet on what we now acknowledge as the traditional territory of the Algonquin Anishinabeg Nation, was an exclusively White male assembly, operating in English.

Yes, we have moved on, and the diverse Parliament of today is gratifying to see and participate in, but it would be a grievous mistake to believe that our pursuit of social justice is complete.  There is much work to do if Canada is to become a fair and equitable home for all.

One step we can – and must – take is to be found in Bill C-8, the legislation before the Senate today.

This Bill was described as a top priority for me as the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship in the Prime Minister's 2019 mandate letter.

In response to Call to Action 94, the new wording in Bill C-8 makes a crucial addition.  As it invites new Canadians to faithfully observe the laws of Canada, the Oath now goes into greater detail by adding, “…including the Constitution, which recognizes and affirms the Aboriginal and treaty rights of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples.”

This is a deeply meaningful change, as it underscores the fact that Aboriginal rights are constitutionally protected collective rights under section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982. These rights are built upon the historic occupation and use of this land now known as Canada by Indigenous peoples.

Mr. Speaker, as newcomers enjoy the tremendous honour of becoming Canadian citizens, it is essential that they appreciate fully the true history of our development as a nation. 

This appreciation must include an acknowledgement of the Aboriginal and treaty rights of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples.

In the broader scope of Canadian identity and self-recognition, in our understanding of citizenship, this has long been a glaring omission.

That is what the new Oath of Citizenship seeks to correct. Formulated in the spirit of reconciliation with Canada’s first peoples, it acknowledges that our sense of ourselves, our very sense of national identity, is evolving.

In addition to the change to the wording of the Oath, the government continues its work to address Call to Action 93, which recommends that Canada’s citizenship guide and knowledge test “… reflect a more inclusive history of the diverse Aboriginal peoples of Canada.”

Officials are in the process of incorporating this knowledge into the revised information kit so that new Canadians will know the history of Indigenous peoples and their treaty rights as they begin their journey as informed citizens.

Those journeys commence with a very precisely worded promise, Mr. Speaker – the Oath of Citizenship. In amending the oath, the government is reframing the very concept of Canada as beginning with the presence of First Nations in this vast and ancient land.

Canada is once again evolving, Mr. Speaker. This time, to be inclusive of a history of peoples whose presence here is intrinsic to the land itself.

We are fully committed to this process, Mr. Speaker, and I invite the support of all members in this place in voting for Bill C-8.

Thank you.