December 18, 2025

First, I want to thank each of our panellists for being part of this discussion.

Our country needs more conversations that include Indigenous youth like you, so that your perspectives help shape our future.

I encourage you to continue developing your leadership skills. 

When I was growing up in Nunavik, my siblings and I attended the Federal Day School in Kuujjuaq.

Speaking our mother tongue was forbidden—both in the classroom and on school grounds, even though we were in our own community. And this had damaging consequences.

Imagining a future where we could succeed professionally without giving up our Indigenous identity felt out of reach.

For my generation, preserving our Indigenous identity was often an impossible challenge.

Most of my childhood friends were sent to residential schools, far away from our community.

I remember that when they came back for the summer, many refused to wear handmade clothes or kimiks. They wore jeans and boots instead.

Some never spoke Inuktitut again.

They felt they had to abandon their Inuit identity to live full, successful lives.

Today, it warms my heart to see more youth like you—proud to speak your ancestral languages, and to embrace your cultures, values and traditions.

This is truly admirable.

You are breaking a cycle. Despite the pain your families and communities have endured, you have found paths to healing.

Some of you are using new tools and new technologies to do so. I’ve heard and read stories of youth sharing messages of hope and healing through social media, connecting with those who feel isolated.

We should embrace your ways of doing things.

We have so much to learn from your ways of healing.

In the Arctic, there is a flower called the purple saxifrage. It is resilient, thriving in some of the harshest environments on Earth.

What you’re doing reminds me of this flower. You are helping our cultures bloom again.

Thank you.

So, my wish for you today is this:

Never forget the past, because it must never be repeated. But continue to move forward—embrace who you are, and embrace your country.

Thank you, and have a great discussion.