Honourable senators, just over a year ago, I was sworn into the Senate of Canada. My appointment filled the seat left open following the retirement of the Honourable Daniel Christmas, a mentor of mine and the first Mi’kmaw senator ever appointed.

In the entire history of the Senate, 26 Indigenous senators have been appointed. Twelve of them have been appointed in the past eight years. Jaime Battiste is the first Mi’kmaw MP, first elected in 2019. This means that Mi’kmaq have only had a direct voice in federal politics for 8 out of the 157 years that Canada has been its own country.

So for me, it was important that I hit the ground running. I didn’t feel I had the luxury to ease into this position. I have tried to use this position to highlight important issues facing the Mi’kmaq, or L’nu, as we call ourselves and Indigenous people more broadly.

Yet even though I served as a chief and regional chief, I didn’t want to presume I knew the issues. That is why I launched a tour around Mi’kma’ki, the traditional territory of the Mi’kmaq. I travelled from Newfoundland to the Gaspé region of Quebec. I went through New Brunswick, P.E.I. and, of course, Nova Scotia. I listened to and engaged with over 1,700 people. I documented their priorities and challenges, as well as their successes and hopes for the next seven generations.

On October 1, Treaty Day in Nova Scotia, I launched a report resulting from this tour. I called it ReconciliACTION, and I invite senators to read it in the official language of their choice. I plan to use this report as a guide to ensure that every intervention I make as a senator is tied to the priorities of the Mi’kmaq.

Thank you. Wela’lioq.