AMBM President Ivan Normandeau issued the following statement following the announcement of the discovery of the remains of 215 Indigenous children on the grounds of the former residential school in Kamloops, British Columbia:
Manitoba’s bilingual municipal leadership joins the voices of First Nations, Inuit and Métis families and communities grieving over the discovery of the remains of 215 Indigenous children. The people of Manitoba and Canada are deeply moved by this tragic news, which comes on top of the residential school tragedy. Let us never forget what was done to them.
In this National Indigenous History Month, it is more than important to honour and recognize the historic contribution of First Nations, Inuit, Métis and French-speaking Métis peoples to Canada’s destiny and to our democracy as we know it today.
Many of the AMBM’s member municipalities have lowered their flags to half-mast to join their voices to those of our fellow Indigenous peoples. We wish them peace and resilience, and support them in making the changes necessary to address the legacy of residential schools and move forward with reconciliation.
Every child matters. Let us be the change we want to see. Let’s embrace reconciliation and become vibrant actors in the implementation of the actions recommended by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
The AMBM is the voice of bilingual municipal leadership in the province of Manitoba. It represents 15 local governments committed to providing services in both official languages to their citizens.
Manitoba’s bilingual municipal leadership is also at the helm of the AMBM Group, a consortium of three complementary organizations: the AMBM, the Economic Development Council for Manitoba Bilingual Municipalities (CDEM) and Eco-West Canada (EWC), which has specialized in the green economy since 2008. Complementary, these three organizations actively contribute to the development, vitality and sustainability of the province’s Official Language Minority Communities (OLMCs), including the French-speaking Métis.
Information: Justin Johnson, Chief Executive Officer, 204-289-4077, [email protected].
