RIC BRESEE, MPP

from Every Child Matters - Total Sports Quinte

Every Child Matters - Total Sports Quinte

MPP Hastings - Lennox & Addington

For many of us, hockey is a Canadian thing.

Young or old, male or female, settler or first nation, one of the things that almost everyone in Canada shares is a passion and a knowledge of hockey. Whether that is a casual fan excited by NHL team nearby, or just a bunch of kids with sticks and a tennis ball playing on the street, or even the heavy engagement of a local rep team and all of the family time and effort that goes into supporting a young rising star, hockey is common to all of us.

Another common element is the collective heartbreak we have all felt as the discoveries of Graves at residential school sites across the country have occurred.

As a country we have not done a good job in providing the education and cultural understanding of the devastating impact of the imposition of the residential school system, for multiple generations and the long term impact of this horrific chapter in our history.

I am so very pleased to see the efforts to bring more awareness to this history. Using hockey to cross all cultures within Canada, and specifically here in Eastern Ontario is both very appropriate and should be very effective.

I want to thank all the Wellington Dukes, and participants, and even the audiences in attendance. I hope you enjoy the game, and I hope you take some time to learn the truth.

Recognize the past, to build a better future for all Indigenous persons, and for all of Canada.

Every child matters.