Manitoba First Nations ask Queen for apology
Last Updated: Thursday, February 21, 2008 | 5:51 PM CT
CBC News
The head of 30 northern aboriginal communities in Manitoba wants Queen Elizabeth to apologize to the former students of residential schools in Canada.
Sydney Garrioch, grand chief of the Manitoba Keewatinook Ininew Okimowin, which represents northern Manitoba chiefs, sent a letter to Buckingham Palace Thursday morning, urging the Queen to "issue an apology on behalf of your government in Canada and let us close this terrible chapter in Canadian history.
"I would humbly implore you as our Head of State and Queen of the British Commonwealth to ensure our cries of the former residential school students are heard," the letter read.
Garrioch said he's tired of waiting for an apology from Canada's federal government, so he's taking his request further up the chain of command.
"The Queen is our last resort. We have a special relationship with the Queen — that's what triggered the letter," he told CBC News on Thursday.
"[We're] speaking out and asking for an official formal apology for the wrongdoings in regards to the survivors in the residential school system that were kind of abused — sexually, physically — and other impacts, that they lost their culture, their language and their families, and [were] disconnected from their community."
In 1998, the Canadian government issued a "statement of reconciliation," which recognized and apologized to people who experienced physical and sexual abuse at residential schools, part of an action plan created in response to the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples.
But Garrioch said that statement did not go far enough.
"We are patient enough people," he said. "It's been a century. We are still very hopeful it will happen."
Federal apology in the works: Strahl
Last week, Australia apologized for generations of mistreatment of that country's aboriginal people, but it hasn't offered them any compensation.
The Canadian government is providing nearly $2 billion in compensation to former residential students, and the government's last speech from the throne indicated Prime Minister Stephen Harper would "make a statement of apology to close this sad chapter in our history" when it launched a planned truth and reconciliation commission.
"It's coming along. I don't have an exact date for it, but obviously we want to do it as quickly as we can," said Chuck Strahl, Canada's Minister of Indian Affairs.
"The truth and reconciliation commission, putting that together is part of the process — but it has to be done right, it can't be haphazard or slapdash, it has be done with some dignity and respect."
Meanwhile, the Governor General's office confirmed it has received a copy of Garrioch's letter, but referred all calls to Buckingham Palace.
The Queen's press secretary said she would try to determine the status of the letter and might have an official response on the matter on Friday.
