Ceremony Quote by Perry Bellegarde

Now is the time to take stock of a painful part of our history. Only then can we move past it. Anything less would…

— Perry Bellegarde

Indigenous people made huge contributions to this country. The biggest is in sharing the land and resources. People need to see that, understand that.…

— Perry Bellegarde

We focus on bringing back Indigenous languages, ceremonies, cultures, traditions - all that was lost over the past 150 years. This is how we'll…

— Perry Bellegarde

In Cree, an oskâpêwis is a servant or a helper, someone who hauls in rocks for sweats, or pipes or medicines. I equate that…

— Perry Bellegarde

Being the only Indian in class, I had to be able to stand up and defend myself and debate the others when they tried…

— Perry Bellegarde

Indigenous languages are Canada's national treasures. They are our identity. We simply have to put greater effort into rejuvenating and revitalizing them. It is…

— Perry Bellegarde

If you want to change a mind, there's no better way than a dialogue over coffee.

— Perry Bellegarde

To be treaty person means coexist in peace and with mutual respect. That's at the core of these treaties. They intended for us to…

— Perry Bellegarde

Living on reserve we hunted; we fished; we trapped. We lived off the land. If we didn't hunt, we didn't eat. In summer, we…

— Perry Bellegarde

Some will say: "Why should we celebrate the birth of colonialism, of oppression, of cultural genocide through Canada 150?" It's 2017. In spite of…

— Perry Bellegarde

I experienced racism in different settings: I was followed in stores, in cars. The way you experience racism depends on how you deal with…

— Perry Bellegarde

I went to elementary school in Goodeve, Saskatchewan, a small Ukrainian town. I played a lot of hockey, a lot of ball. Because of…

— Perry Bellegarde