Prince ‘is not ready to say sorry’
THE leader of Canada’s indigenous peoples clasps Prince Charles by the hand and asks for an apology over “genocide”.
RoseAnne Archibald, national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, met the Prince of Wales in Ottowa on Wednesday at an event hosted by PM Justin Trudeau.
She said: “I asked for an apology from his mother... for whatever happened in the institutions of assimilation and genocide. I also asked for an apology for the failures of the Crown in that relationship that we have.”
She added that the Prince had “recognised there had been failures by those who are responsible for that relationship with the Crown”.
Ms Archibald added: “It’s not enough, it’s a first step, we have yet to hear an apology and when that apology happens that again will just be one step on the road to healing for First Nations.”
Also in Ottowa, Charles and Camilla were greeted by dozens of flag-waving children at the Assumption School.
The school welcomes children from countries such as Ghana, Nigeria and Chile and the Prince said: “You’ve created a wonderful environment for everyone.”
Fatimah Akintoye told Charles she moved from Nigeria with her five children in 2018, fearing her four daughters would be victims of female genital mutilation.
The Duchess of Cornwall read a book called The Library Bus, by Bahram Rahman, to six and sevenyear-olds. She also saw a book vending machine supplied by the Start2Finish project.
Yesterday Charles and Camilla went to the Northern Territories and were due to visit an ice road community struggling with the effects of climate change.