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  Leaders Seek Apology
First Nations Want Gov't to Address Legacy of Residential Schools

By Betty Ann Adam
StarPhoenix
March 10, 2008

http://www.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix/story.html?id=20
b49712-5289-4c8c-beb1-d4815f719232&k=47970

Church and aboriginal leaders joined together Sunday and demanded Prime Minister Stephen Harper issue a formal apology for Canada's former "flawed system" of Native residential schools and the policy of assimilation it espoused.

The leaders, meeting in Saskatoon to raise awareness of Canada's Indian Residential Schools Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), also called on the federal government to take the long-awaited step of appointing its three commissioners and getting started on the expected five-year process.

"We can't have a commission without commissioners. The churches, along with survivors across the country and also our leaders, (are) putting pressure on the government to appoint the commissioners and get the commission on the road," said Ted Quewezance, executive director of the National Residential Schools Survivors Society.

Lawrence Joseph, chief of the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations (FSIN), urged the public "to form alliances with us so we can compel the Government of Canada to formally apologize in front of the rest of Canada to aboriginal people for the atrocities that occurred at the hands of the government of the past."

"The clergy need to tell their congregations every Sunday not to forget about the atrocities that occurred in residential schools under their charge."

Churches have been coming to terms with their roles in the social and cultural damages wrought by residential schools for the past decade and all have issued apologies to aboriginal people who were forced to attend, said David Giuliano, moderator of the United Church of Canada.

Aboriginal people may understandably feel impatient for the government's apology and for the commission to begin its work of gathering the stories of the children and communities who were affected, Giuliano said.

"It's been a long time," Quewezance said.

"It would be really nice if Canada would do the apology when many of our elders are alive to be acknowledged for the wrongs (that were) done to our elders and to all survivors across the country," Quewezance said.

At the same time, some wonder how many former students will want to go through the emotional turmoil of recounting painful childhood experiences.

Vince Ermine, who attended a residential school in Prince Albert for eight years, said his reluctance to tell his story increased after a government lawyer expressed skepticism about his experience.

"It hard to bring it back up. There's some things I can't say. . . . What's the use?" he said.

David Macdonald, special advisor to general council of residential schools steering committee, said the commission must invite all survivors to speak, including those on the streets and in the prisons.

Joseph said Canadians need to understand the damaging effects residential schools had on individual children and the wider aboriginal community.

He said when children were forced to attend the schools, they were stripped of their Native identities and often subjected to emotional, physical and even sexual abuse.

"They need to understand and acknowledge somebody sitting beside you who's not as healthy emotionally, physically and spiritually. Acknowledge that the people. . . are handicapped.

"Many individuals have survived. . . . I challenged the people to stop acting as a victim. . . . It's up to each of us to understand where we came from and latch on to partnerships individually and with corporate Canada to get out of that dependency on government," Joseph said.

Leaders of the United, Anglican, Presbyterian and Catholic churches are participating in public awareness events this week in Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Ottawa and Vancouver.

"We have to get everybody energized and attentive to the fact that this is going to happen," said Hans Kouwenberg, moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Canada.

The commission is to have seven national events within the first two years, but no one knows yet where they will be held or what form they will take, said Macdonald.

Once the commissioners are appointed, it is expected they will travel across the country consulting on how to have the widest possible effect. Communities will also be invited to create their own programs of truth-telling and reconciliation, Macdonald said.

badam@sp.canwest.com

 
 

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