June 11 marks the second anniversary of the Canadian Government’s apology for the Indian Residential Schools. The official apology was made by Prime Minister Stephen Harper with responses from the other three major party leaders (Stéphane Dion, Gilles Duceppe and Jack Layton). Each leader conveyed disappointment, regret and sadness in their party’s role, be it direct or indirect, in maintaining these institutions for so long.
The Residential Schools represent a disturbing legacy within Canadian history, a legacy that stretches over 120 years from the 1870s to the last closure in 1996. In that time, more than 130 schools were established across the country. Thousands of Aboriginal, Inuit and Métis children were forcefully taken from their parents, sometimes never to return, and deprived of their culture. Many endured emotional, physical or sexual abuse.
The apology, public admittance of responsibility, and appeal for forgiveness was a critical first step in promoting the healing of past wrongs and in helping all Canadians begin to move forward together. But an apology by itself is not enough. Forgiveness, reconciliation and the restoration of broken relationships requires a change in behaviour: repentance.
From June 11 to 13, a coalition of First Nations, Inuit and Métis people from across the country will gather in Ottawa for an event called the Forgiven Summit. Led by Chief Kenny Blacksmith, an ordained minister, former Deputy Grand Chief of the Cree Nation of Quebec and a Residential School survivor, the summit is an opportunity for Aboriginal Canadians to formally offer forgiveness to the people of Canada. Top government leaders, including the Prime Minister, and the Canadian public have been invited to participate.
The Forgiven Summit will bring an end to the Journey of Freedom Tour that has visited 20 cities and towns across Canada since January 2010. The tour has been promoting forgiveness as a means to let go of the past and move forward together, with hope.
But genuine reconciliation requires sacrifice on all sides – true forgiveness and repentance. Aboriginal leaders, including Ray Aldred (a Cree theologian), Terry LeBlanc (Mi’kmaq/Acadian) and Adrian Jacobs (Cayuga), are very supportive of forgiveness and its spiritual and Biblical roots but, as they recently told ChristianWeek, they are concerned that the apology is incomplete without full repentance –a complete change in how Aboriginal Canadians are seen in law, in policies and by the rest of the population.
Their biggest concern is that once forgiveness is officially granted on this wide scale, the public and the government will stop listening to the cries of Aboriginal Canadians for continued healing, and the ongoing social and economic issues facing people on and off reservations. It is Aboriginal peoples who are leading this particular reconciliation movement, but will the rest of Canadian society respond sufficiently?
As part of the apology, Harper condemned the “attitudes that inspired the Indian Residential Schools,” and recognized the connection to social issues that continue to impact reservations and Aboriginal Canadians living off-reserve. A Truth and Reconciliation Commission was launched after the apology (with its first nation-wide event to be held in Winnipeg June 16-19), and in recent months, there have been more promises to restore relations with Aboriginal peoples and the Government of Canada.
In the 2010 Speech from the Throne, the government promised more direct action in response to violence against Aboriginal women. At the end of May, the government introduced Bill S-11 in the Senate, which if passed would commit significant resources to tackling the issue of drinking water conditions on reservations. In addition, millions of dollars were allocated in Budget 2010 for Aboriginal education programs. But is this enough?
Canada remains one of two countries in the United Nations to refuse to sign and ratify the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. When first presented at the UN in 2007, all but Canada, the United States, Australia and New Zealand signed on. Since then, Australia and New Zealand have reversed their decisions, but Canada and the US have not. There were some suggestions within the Throne Speech that the government was moving towards ratification of the declaration, but many Aboriginal rights groups fear that such action may include several amendments, lessening the impact and importance of this document.
Also, although the government is investing more in education and fighting poverty within Aboriginal communities, coalitions like Make Aboriginal Poverty History worry that the funds are not enough for sustainable improvements. The numbers fall short of the Kelowna Accord, an agreement made in 2005 between the government and several Aboriginal groups for significant investments in education, health and poverty, to bring lasting improvements and eradicate poverty amongst Aboriginal Canadians. (After the change of government in 2006, the Kelowna Accord was never implemented.)
Two years after the official apology, the government and the public have the opportunity to make significant improvements in general attitudes and policies concerning Aboriginal Canadians. Taking responsibility for the past can and should inspire significant and lasting change for the future –building a new legacy of change and hope.
