My question is for the Government Representative in the Senate.

Senator Gold, on May 9, the United Church of Canada will be holding a religious service during which it will recognize the role it played in forced adoptions, which occurred from the end of the Second World War through the early 1980s. This ceremony is further to the church’s earlier public apology for separating unmarried mothers from their children in maternity homes.

Acknowledging responsibility, expressing regret and apologizing are all important parts of the healing process. The Government of Canada recognizes that and has apologized a number of times for past wrongs inflicted on Canadians.

Here and elsewhere, thousands of unmarried young women were forced to endure this shameful practice made possible by the combined efforts of churches and governments. Many churches in Canada and the Commonwealth have already acknowledged wrongdoing. Australia and Ireland, for example, have apologized.

Senator Gold, I have a hard time understanding why the Government of Canada has yet to recognize its responsibility in this file. Why is it not acknowledging the request for an official apology from these mothers and their children, who are joined by the Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology, which released in 2018 a report entitled The Shame is Ours that includes, as its first recommendation, a request for an apology?

Senator Gold, I have already asked you this question, and I fear I’ll have to ask it again in the future. Does the government intend to apologize to the victims of this odious practice, and when does it intend to do so?