CANADA
The Globe and Mail
GLORIA GALLOWAY PARLIAMENTARY REPORTER
OTTAWA
Canada’s Parliament will ask the Pope to reconsider his refusal to apologize to the Indigenous people who attended Catholic-run residential schools, and for the Catholic Church to make good on its financial obligations under the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement.
A motion calling on the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops to invite Pope Francis to make the apology has been drafted by New Democrat MP Charlie Angus and revised slightly by the office of Carolyn Bennett, the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations. It is expected to be debated in the House of Commons next week and to pass with the support of the majority Liberal government.
The New Democrats and the Liberals are now in discussions with the other parties in the Commons to determine whether they are willing to give the motion unanimous consent – a vote that would reinforce Canada’s interest in hearing the Pontiff acknowledge and regret the harm done by representatives of his church to generations of Indigenous children in this country.
Given the apology to the former students of Indian residential schools that was delivered by Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper in 2008, and also the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), Mr. Angus said, “to have this passed without partisan division would send a very strong signal about Canada’s desire to have this issue dealt with so we can move on.”
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