I heard two men expressing their painful history through poetry, because the stark reality of it was too difficult to elaborate through ordinary words. I listened to a young girl tearfully relate how her father had just revealed his difficult sojourn in a residential school to her.
 
I learned with astonishment about the difficulty of an Aboriginal man in revealing his secret, never before revealed to his family: “How will they react if I tell them this? Will my family survive this revelation? How I had wished that I were born ‘ white, to be white’…”

Because we were given this opportunity to listen to some horrendous stories from our Aboriginal brothers and sisters, we now know more about their suffering; and now a new path is opening to us, one of authenticity and truth about our Canadian history which we can no longer ignore.

We have also begun a journey towards reconciliation through these courageous, compelling and powerful statements. May all these actions, words and discussions be but the beginning of new dialogue and new paths for collaboration with the First Nations.