CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY

I would like to begin by recognizing that we are on the ancestral land of the Algonquin people.

Mr. Speaker, people are troubled by what they’ve been witnessing this past week. Young, old, Indigenous, newcomers – they are asking themselves what is happening in this country.

They are asking what lies ahead.

For themselves. For their communities. For Canada.

They know that these protests are serious. That this is a critical moment for our country and for our future.

And so do I.

On all sides, people are upset and frustrated. I get it. It’s understandable.  

Because this is about things that matter: rights and livelihoods, the rule of law, and our democracy.

To the people dealing with the impact of the blockades and protests, this is a difficult time.

Know that our government is working hard to find a solution.

Our priority is to resolve this peacefully, but also to protect the rule of law in our country.

That is a principle we will always defend.

It is time – past time – for this situation to be resolved.

But what we are facing was not created overnight. It was not created because we have embarked upon a path of reconciliation recently in our history.

It is because for too long in our history – for too many years – we failed to do so.

So finding a solution will not be simple.

It will take determination, hard work, and cooperation.

There is no relationship more important to Canada than the one with Indigenous peoples. And today, as Prime Minister, I am once again formally extending my hand in partnership and trust.

Over the last 11 days, our government has been working on a path forward, even as many have been saying we should give up.

Because we know what is at stake. We know that we cannot afford to fail.

So we are creating a space for peaceful, honest dialogue with willing partners. As we heard this morning, from Mohawk leaders and from National Chief Perry Bellegarde, we need to resolve this with dialogue and mutual respect.

To the Wet’suwet’en and Mohawk Nations, and Indigenous leaders across the country – we are listening.

We are not asking that you stop standing up for your communities, your rights, and for what you believe. We only ask that you be willing to work with the federal government as a partner in finding solutions.

You remind us, rightly so, that too often trust has been betrayed in the history of Indigenous negotiations with Canadian governments. In fact, that underlines the difficulty of solving this situation today.

But our common ground is the desire to arrive at solutions.

We cannot resolve this alone.

Just like we need Indigenous leaders to be partners, we also need Canadians to show both resolve and collaboration.

Everyone has a stake in getting this right.

Let me be clear: our government will continue to work around the clock to quickly and peacefully find a solution.

In the past, we have seen how quickly these situations can change. I know we all want to find a solution, but at the same time, we must avoid making things worse.

Yesterday, I reconvened members of the Incident Response Group to discuss the situation and our path forward.

I have also spoken with premiers to talk about the impact the blockades are having on farmers, entrepreneurs, families, and workers across the country.

Over the weekend, the Minister of Indigenous Services met with representatives from Tyendinaga, as well as other members of the Mohawk Nation.

And I have committed to the Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs that the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations will meet with them anytime, and I hope that the offer will be accepted.

This is our opportunity now to bring these perspectives together.

Because, Mr. Speaker, what is the alternative? Do we want to become a country of irreconcilable differences? Where people talk but refuse to listen? Where politicians are ordering police to arrest people? A country where people think they can tamper with rail lines and endanger lives? This is simply unacceptable. We cannot solve these problems on the margins. That is not the way forward. I know that people’s patience is running short. We need to find a solution. And we need to find it now.

I have spoken in this House about how my father faced protests over the debate about Aboriginal and treaty rights in the Constitution.

Over 30 years later, many of those questions still linger.

Which is why our pace of change must be even faster. 

And not only in this situation.

Despite having invested more than any other government to right historic wrongs, to close persistent gaps, we know that there is still more, much more, to be done.

It is unacceptable that there are people who still do not have access to clean drinking water.

That Indigenous women and girls still go missing, and are murdered.

That there are people without housing and good education.

It is unacceptable that Indigenous peoples are still denied rights and lands, Mr. Speaker, so we need to keep finding solutions.

And that can only happen by working together and by listening.

Mr. Speaker, as a country, we must decide on the direction we want to take.

We must choose respect and communication.

We cannot go down a path where we refuse to listen, where we engage in hostilities. 

That is not the solution. 

There are those who would want us to act in haste.

Who want to boil this down to slogans, and ignore the complexities.

Who think that using force is helpful.

It is not.

Patience may be in short supply, and that makes it more valuable than ever.

Indigenous rights, climate action, law and order, building a clean economy, we will not achieve these things by degrading our democracy. 

Mr. Speaker, in this country, we are facing many important and deep debates.

Debates about the future livelihoods of our children, the future of our environment, our relations with countries around the world, our positioning on things that are fundamental at a time of anxiety. And more and more, Canadians are impatient to see those answers.

More and more, people are frustrated that there is such uncertainty. And more and more, we see those debates carried with increasing intensity, on the margins of our democratic conversations.

The place for these debates is here in this House, the place for these debates is around kitchen tables and community centres in this country.

And yes, there is always a place for Canadians to protest and express their frustrations. But we need to ensure that we’re also listening to each other. The reality of populism, Mr. Speaker, and its siren song in our democracies these days, is a desire to listen only to ourselves and the people who agree with us, and not to people of another perspective.

And the concern with action before discussion, the need for reasonable, reasoned debate in this place, is at the centre of what we have to continue to move forward with as a country.

Indigenous rights, climate action, law and order, building a clean economy, we will not achieve these things by degrading our democracy.

We must be honest about why we are here. We must be open to working together to move forward.

And not just in the days ahead, but as we make progress on everything from implementing Indigenous rights and title, to addressing historic wrongs, and ending long-term drinking water advisories. As a country and as a government, we need to continue the work we are doing. And we need to continue to walk this road together.

To everyone, I say we are extending our hands in good faith for dialogue. The opportunity is there on the table right now.

We are in this together.

The worker, the senior, the Indigenous leader, the protester, the police officer.

Let’s have the courage to take this opportunity and take action together.

And to build a better path, for all Canadians.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.