MPs speed up bill on truth-and-reconciliation day

Federal lawmakers are fast-tracking legislation to create a national day for truth and reconciliation.

In a Liberal motion, MPs moved unanimously to wrap debate on Bill C-5 and deem it passed by day's end, sending it to the Senate.

The legislation would establish a new statutory holiday to commemorate the victims and survivors of Indigenous residential schools.

The move comes a day after a First Nation in British Columbia confirmed discovery of the remains of 215 children buried in unmarked graves on the site of a former residential school in Kamloops.

The bill follows a similar one introduced by the NDP in 2017 that foundered in the Senate two years later.

The statutory holiday, which would apply to federally regulated workers, is set for Sept. 30.

Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller has said the bill marks a step toward righting past wrongs associated with the residential school system, which he deemed a "national tragedy borne by colonialism and propelled by systematic racism."

In light of the heartbreaking news yesterday, the House rose to observe a moment of silence to honour the 215 young victims of the former Kamloops Residential School and to fast track a bill creating a national day for truth and reconciliation #cdnpoli https://t.co/R2A7UQAiDW

— Marc Miller (@MarcMillerVM) May 28, 2021

Green MP Jenica Atwin teared up during third-reading debate Friday, tracing a direct line between the legacy of colonialism and the myriad challenges facing Indigenous people today.

Bill C-5 will help bring awareness to "the horrors of the past," she said.