Prime Minister Stephen Harper has made an historic apology on behalf of the Canadian government for native residential schools and its decades-long federal policy of forced assimilation.
"Today, we recognize that this policy of assimilation was wrong, has caused great harm, and has no place in our country," Mr. Harper said. "The government now recognizes that the consequences of the Indian residential schools policy were profoundly negative and that this policy has had a lasting and damaging impact on Aboriginal culture, heritage and language."
The apology was quickly embraced by Phil Fontaine, chief of the Assembly of First Nations, who addressed MPs from the floor of the House of Commons, as dozens of residential school survivors watched on from the public gallery. "This day testifies to nothing less than the achievement of the impossible," Mr. Fontaine said. "Never again will this House consider us the Indian problem just for being who we are. We heard the government of Canada take full responsibility for this dreadful chapter in our shared history. "What happened today signifies a new dawn in the relationship between us and the rest of Canada," he said.
"On behalf of the government of Canada and all Canadians, I stand before you, in this chamber so vital, central to our life as a country, to apologize to aboriginal peoples for the role the government of Canada played in the Indian residential schools system." Mr. Harper continued, "We now recognize that, far too often, these institutions gave rise to abuse or neglect and were inadequately controlled, and we apologize for failing to protect you."
Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion also apologized on behalf of the Liberal Party, which he noted had governed the country for 70 years of the last century. "For too long the Canadian government chose to ignore the consequences of this tragedy," Mr. Dion said. "I am sorry Canada tried to erase your identity and culture."
Bloc Québécois Leader Gilles Duceppe and NDP Leader Jack Layton added their voices to the apology, each demanding that the government restore the nation-to-nation relationship between Ottawa and First Nations, Métis and Inuit. "This Parliament chose to treat First Nations, Métis and Inuit people as not equally human," Mr. Layton said. "It set out to 'kill the Indian in the child.' That choice was wrong – horribly wrong."
Courtesy:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080611.wapologymain0611/BNStory/Front
Link to the video:
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