Queen Urged To Apologize For Residential Schools

Queen Urged To Apologize For Residential Schools

Thursday, February 21, 2008 at 13:52

The head of 30 of the most remote northern reserves in Canada says since the Prime Minister won’t apologize to Aboriginal people for the abuses they suffered in residential schools, the Queen should.

Northern Manitoba Grand Chief Sydney Garrioch has sent a letter to the monarch explaining how Native children were forcibly removed from their parents and sent to schools for years at a time, often seeing family for only holidays and summers.

Exactly a week ago, Australia made a formal apology to its Aboriginal people for generations of wrongs, including its residential schools.

Canadian Aboriginal leaders reacted by repeating their calls for Prime Minister Stephen Harper to offer a similar gesture.

Garrioch says Australia’s apology was beamed around the world and it underscored a feeling that an apology is long overdue.

(courtesy of the Winnipeg Free Press)