Last week, I called on the Government of Saskatchewan to apologize for Saskatchewan’s role in Canada’s Adopt Indian Métis program, also called the ’60s Scoop. Today, the government responded positively. I’m pleased, and ready to work together with all members of the Legislative Assembly and First Nations and Métis leaders and community members on this process.

Apologies can be powerful, especially when they’re accompanied with by concrete actions.

Easier access to birth records as well as access to counselling are concrete steps the government should take to assist individuals and families affected by the ’60s Scoop. I also want the provincial government to host a roundtable with ’60s Scoop survivors, to hear their stories, and develop an action plan to move toward healing and reconciliation.

Extending opportunity to more and more people is critical to improving our shared futures, and to building a stronger province both socially and economically. Acknowledging the ’60s Scoop as a damaging historical wrong with long-lasting consequences can help tear down a barrier to a better life for many in our province.

I encourage all members of the Legislative Assembly to lay aside political differences to work in cooperation on this important process. Apologizing to those who were taken as children, and to their families and communities, needs to be a significant and meaningful process.