APOLOGY TO ABORIGINAL PEOPLE

Opposition Liberals put a motion before the House of Parliament today demanding the Harper government honour a commitment to apologize to Aboriginal Canadians for the injustices committed inside the walls of government established Indian Residential Schools.

During these dark days in our nations history children were torn from their homes and families, subjected to policies of cultural genocide, victimized by rampant sexual, physical and emotional abuses. As many as 60% of children who attended residential school died in those schools. Those who lived were void of their identity, humiliated and left to live a life of shame that perpetuated into the lives of their children and their children's children. Trauma and learned abusive practises are now multi-generational. The disproportionately high levels of alcoholism, substances abuses, violence, suicide and mental illnesses that continue to plague aboriginal communities are directly linked to the effects of residential school experiences. The cycle of abuse that began in the residential schools continues to impact every new generation. The impacts have magnified over time.

As Canadians we are all faced with what to do to stop the cycle and turn the tragedy around. This devastating chapter in the history of our country must not be forgotten. It will never be forgotten by the Aboriginal people. It must not be forgot by all Canadian. The mistakes of our ancestors need to be acknowledged, the victims need to be compensated and the Nation of Canada needs to apologize for the harm caused Aboriginal people by the despicable actions of our nation's past governments.

The survivors, once children and now Elders, the leaders working on behalf of the Elders and their children and children's children have negotiated an apology with the government. The government has yet to honour that agreement. Healing can not begin to take place without an apology. The courts of Canada have also called for a full and unequivocal apology by the government on behalf of Canada. The United Nations has passed resolutions in support of human rights questions calling for a public apology to the Aboriginal People of Canada. The Chinese people of Canada received an apology for the head count tax. Japanese for the interment camps. Harrar for being sent to a Syrian prison. Others for being wrongfully imprisoned in Canada. Why are Aboriginal people denied the same respect? Why are they denied this important beginning to a healing process that will benefit all Canadians?

On November 21, 2005, after decades of lobbying by Aboriginal leaders the former Liberal government signed a comprehensive reconciliation agreement with the Assembly of First Nations on behalf of the Aboriginal People of Canada. The agreement included a plan for financial compensating as well as an agreement for the Government of Canada to offer a formal apology to the Aboriginal People. The intention was to acknowledge a wrong doing, to compensate the survivors, to apologize and set a new direction for the whole of Canada. As of March 2007 the current government began to honour the financial compensation yet it continues to deny the public apology. Harper has maintained a position of his Conservative government not to apologize.

Harper and other key Conservative ministers were not siting in the house today when the resolution was read and the subsequent presentations were made. Those Conservative MP's that were in attendance sang the party line. Recognition is enough to move the process forward. No apology is required and none will be given. Those MP's who did speak talked about the good work of the current government in supporting Aboriginal economic development. Job creation and skills training programs were sited as the answers to improving the lives of Aboriginal people and First Nations communities.

It is the position of the Harper government that an agreement to compensation is recognition that atrocities were committed. Regrets are implicit in the recognition. Apologies are not needed. Instead the MP's who spoke focused on advancing economic development support and enhancing government programs to improve access to business opportunities for Aboriginal people. The current government's approach is to implement policies that will serve to remove obstacles for Aboriginal people to be more active participants in the Canadian economy. To look forward without looking back now that compensation has been facilitated. To bypass healing and expect the survivors to 'get over it and move on'.

Will the House of Parliament vote to force the Harper government to deliver a formal apology to Aboriginal people? Will the Government of Canada honour the requests of the survivor's and set the long awaited healing process into motion? Time will tell. I can't help but be heart sick about this whole affair. I find it inhumane of the government to continue to deny Aboriginal people the long over due apology that they have bravely and humbly requested.

I have worked long enough in Aboriginal community and in social service organizations to know about the effects of the residential school spectrum. I have ancestors of my own who were survivors of the residential school system and I've heard and seen the multi-generational affects of my ancestors experiences there. I've worked in the fields of education, health and addictions long enough to know the impact of unresolved suffering and denied healings. I am a human being and I know how I am impacted if denied an apology when an injustice has been imposed upon me. The pain of the injustice takes much longer to heal if left unacknowledged.

How about you? How easy is it for you to get past a wrong done to you if you don't receive an apology? Even the smallest wrong left hanging can cause one to harbour feelings of resentment for a time. Image standing in line for a movie. The person in front of you steps back onto your foot. He apologizes... (If you are Canadian you might beat him with an apology of your own for having your foot in his way). The apology restores harmony. If there is no apology or exchange of apologies it is likely that one or the other of you will harbour a negative feeling about the other person. Image coming out of the theatre you see the person who stepped on your foot and didn't apologize to you. It is very likely that you would have at least a flash of a negative emotion. You might even send him a glare. Had he apologized you would likely have a more positive emotional reaction. You might even flash him a smile. Without the apology he's a 'jerk'... with the apology he's a 'decent guy'.

What about a bigger offense. What if your sister was raped and murdered. The man responsible is given a maximum sentence for his crime. He offers a truly heartfelt apology to you and your family. He was truly repentant. Two years later your brother is shot and murdered. The man responsible is given a minimum sentence and he walks away without saying a word. You can see that the only think he regrets is having been caught. Would you feel differently towards these two men? I would. The actions of the first man would in fact help me heal. It would put me on a journey towards forgiveness. It would put me on a journey towards spiritual freedom. I would be no less sad for the loose of my sister but I would be ready to move forward towards healing. The actions of the second man would cause me to fester more hate and anger. I might see his face in my dreams for years or even the rest of my life. I might think about how much I hated him every day. I might plot my own revenge. I might start to medicate myself to try to forget. I might become a very angry and bitter person. I might never heal. I might die broken.

If, as human beings, as families, as peoples we don't feel as though justice is served we have a much more difficult time moving passed the injustice. That is what has happened for Aboriginal people. Horrible injustices have mounted over time. The Residential school system, the Indian Act and its oppressive policies have been imposed upon Aboriginal people and never has anyone publicly apologized for the injustices that have ensued. Financial compensations, special programs and all sorts of other handouts have been offered as 'pay-offs' but never apologies. The effect is the perpetuation of unhealthy and destructive victimization and continued horrors. It has crossed centuries of time, generations of people.

Today our government has an opportunity to right past wrongs. All they need to do is say, "We are sorry. We apologize for the pain that has been caused to you." That short statement would turn everything around. It would totally change the dynamics of Canada's relationship with Aboriginal people. It would begin the healing process and allow all of us to move forward.

'Hand-outs' would become 'hand-ups'. The victims of past abuses along with all Canadians would be strengthened by the subsequent healing process. Our nation has been 'frozen in time' by the effects of healing being denied. Healing brings with it the power to move forward.

The 2005 agreement that is the subject of the day is about both reconciliation and healing. As of today Canada has made steps to honour their negotiated agreement to make reconciliation but the current government of Canada is denying the commitment to facilitating healing. The Elders, the survivors, the Churches of Canada and healing professionals have from each of their perspectives stated the importance of an apology in the healing process. Yet those who have the power to honour their wishes, take their advice and start the healing seem determined to continue to choose oppression over liberation. They refuse to resolve the past so that we can all move into a better future.

It boggles the mind and shames our nation.