It was hard to sit in the House of Commons today and not be moved by the Government of Canada's apology to aboriginal Canadians for the legacy of residential schools.

The public galleries that surround the chamber were filled with First Nations folk from across the country.

One man held an eagle feather aloft as the prime minister spoke, another drummed as others applauded.

The invited guests in the gallery all clutched little speakers next to their ears, hanging off the prime minister's every word.

There were plenty of tears. But there were also cheers, and smiles, and applause.

But, this being the House of Commons, there was also a little silliness.

On the Liberal side, three aboriginal MPs were moved from their regular bench seats to sit directly behind Stephane Dion. When Dion rose to speak, you could see them, a kind of backdrop for the Liberal leader.

As the Prime Minister began his apology, Harper thanked NDP leader Jack Layton for the assistance he said, Layton provided over the past 18 months.

Across the aisle, the Liberals sat silent, stone-faced, as the Conservatives applauded.

They were angry, perhaps, at the Conservative leader's failure to recognize the years of work previous Liberal governments had themselves put into the file.