Honourable senators, I have been honoured to be the spokesperson for the Indigenous Disability Canada / British Columbia Aboriginal Network Disability Society to celebrate Indigenous Disability Awareness Month, or IDAM. IDAM was created to recognize, support and celebrate the lives of Indigenous Peoples with different abilities.

Recently, I had the privilege of participating in the Voices of Inclusion project, an initiative led by Indigenous Disability Canada that brings Elders and Knowledge Keepers together to speak about disability through an Indigenous lens — that everyone who is born has a purpose and that everyone matters.

Today, over one third of Indigenous Peoples in Canada live with a disability, yet they remain among the most overlooked and underserved populations in this country. They face barriers that are not of their making — barriers created by colonial policies, inaccessible systems and environments that fail to reflect their realities. Still, they continue to show strength, resilience and hope that carry their families and communities forward.

They deserve to feel supported by us in this chamber. And we, in turn, have a responsibility to use our positions to help shape programs and services and create environments that remove all barriers. Indigenous disability is not a partisan issue — it is a matter of justice, equity and human dignity.

As I shared in my interview for the Voices of Inclusion project:

Our work must be intersectional. Whether we are discussing health, the environment, or legislation, we must ask, “How will this impact people with different abilities?” People deserve to meet us in spaces that feel safe, where their voices direct the solutions — not where decisions are made for them.

In Indigenous Disability Awareness Month, I ask you to join me in honouring the resiliency, beauty and strength that Indigenous Peoples with disabilities carry and in recognizing the vast, immeasurable contributions they make to our communities and to Canada.

Thank you. Kinanâskomitinawow.