On June 14, 2008, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper publicly addressed Inuit about the residential school system assimilation policy enforced by the Canadian government for more than a century. In five different languages, three of which were of Inuit culture, Harper proclaimed, "The Government of Canada sincerely apologizes and asks the forgiveness of the aboriginal peoples of this country for failing them so profoundly."
Though some believe Harper’s speech was nothing more than another attempt to make himself look good, Assembly of First Nations Chief Phil Fontaine said the apology marked "a new dawn" in race relations. After decades of having their children isolated, removed from their homes and in some cases abused, the Inuit leaders welcomed the apology from our Prime Minister, vowed to learn from the experience, and wanted to press on.
To me, the simple apology by the Prime Minister and the forgiveness by the Inuit leaders were truly inspirational. People can view this event in any which way they please, but to me, this simple act of recognition for acts done wrong, and the desire to move on and initiate change serves as a cornerstone not only in Canadian-Inuit relations, but is also an effective strategy for resolving similar conflicts. Agree?
Source: O’Neill, Juliet. “‘New Dawn’ in race relations.” Ottawa Citizen.com. CanWest News Services. 18 Jun 08
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5 comments:
I think that every prime minister since the onset of this whole equality thing has delivered a speesh/message/apology about the mistreatment of the Native Peoples. While it was nice to hear that the Canadian government was forgiven, this is no doubt more in response to the large settlement which was received a while back about the school assimilation than to yet another apology by a person, and by extension a country, which really had nothing to do with what happened 200 years ago. Sure our consciences are clean, but couldn't that money have bought some books, or built roads, or trained nurses? Things which benefit the country as a whole, which last time I checked included the Native Peoples.
I thought Harpers apology was very heartfelt by the Native Peoples. To have such an emotional issue addressed and validated could not have been any better for them. The mistreatment of Native Peoples by putting their children in Residential schools was such a negative event to have occur in our history. I'm glad that the government has come to terms with its mistake - something we see so rarely.
Hopefully next time the Conservatives make an apology they have all their members on board. That way they won't have people like Pierre Poilievre marking insensitive comments when their leader is trying to be sincere. Polievre states:
"Now along with this apology comes another $4 billion in compensation for those who partook in the residential schools over those years. Now, you know, some of us are starting to ask, ‘Are we really getting value for all of this money, and is more money really going to solve the problem?"
I think that this comment made the whole apology seem incoherent. Then again I can see the point to his argument. Money might be able to compensate for their financial needs but money will not take away the resentment that has been built up by the Native Peoples over the years. The government now needs to turn what they say into action. We will have to wait and see what their next move involving the Native Peoples will be.
Hi Erin,
I agree that the apology was long overdue, and certainly a step in the right direction - but it's absolutely not enough. Perhaps in addition to a public nation-wide apology the government can produce some form of compensation or memorial program that benefits and recognizes the school survivors.
The Conservatives are generally on the harsher side when it comes to Aboriginals, and I'm worried that praise for his apology will leave Harper with an excuse to put persisting Aboriginal problems aside for the rest of his term.
Erin, when it comes to racial relations a lot of people find it a "hush-hush" subject. No one is willing to stir the pot. Well I think this has been the smartest thing that Harper has done in his term as Prime Minister. No one really takes the time to recognize the bad to restore the greater good. You hear about rivalries between the Candian Government and the Aboriginal peoples, and yes, stories are true and stories are false. If an apology by Harper will smooth the service then I'm all for it.
A little recognition goes a long way, in any aspect of life.
Erin,
I completely agree with Doug. I think it was a great thing for Harper to apologize. It was a long overdue apology and I think that it could be the first step to improving the relationship between the Native people and the government. On the other side, I sometimes find it a little ridiculous that our generation has to apologize and live with the consequences of other generations, but without focusing on that i think it was great that these terrible situations were acknowledged and recognized as wrong.
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