This morning NDP Opposition Leader Ryan Meili issued the following statement, adding his caucus’ voice to the Government of Saskatchewan apology to those who suffered as a result of the Sixties Scoop:
This is an important moment for our province. Today is the day we look in the mirror and accept that, as a province, we failed the kids who were caught up in the Sixties Scoop.
In recognition of the Government of Saskatchewan taking responsibility for the harm that was done here, we reaffirm our commitment to doing right by the survivors who have courageously shared their stories and their pain. Our thoughts are with them.
This is also a moment for us to take a hard look at what happened, and why. We have to recognize that the conditions that created the Sixties Scoop — the fault lines of racism and inequality that divide our province — are still with us. We must redouble our commitment to closing those gaps, to healing those divides, and to moving forward with the difficult and deeply important work of reconciliation.
Unfortunately, we have a long way to go. Today, there are over 5,000 children in care in Saskatchewan, most of them First Nations and Métis, and over 600 newborns have been removed from Saskatchewan parents over the past five years.
People are tired of good words that aren’t accompanied by action. If these injustices persist, we need to do something about them, instead of waiting for tomorrow’s leaders to apologize for today’s wrongs twenty years from now.