Indigenous leaders call for royal apology
THE Prince of Wales has not apologised on behalf of the Queen for the “assimilation and genocide” of Canada’s indigenous residential schoolchildren but instead “acknowledged” the nation’s dark past, leaders of the country’s indigenous population have said.
RoseAnne Archibald, national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, appealed directly to Charles for an apology from the monarch during a reception in the Canadian capital where many leading figures from the country’s indigenous community were invited, along with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other prominent individuals.
The country is dealing with a national scandal stretching back decades that saw thousands of indigenous children die or be abused in the residential school system, with hundreds of human remains discovered last year at former church-run schools.
The National Chief said she did not receive an admission on behalf of the Queen but the future king “acknowledged” failures by Canadian governments in handling the relationship between the Crown and indigenous people which “really meant something”.
Cassidy Caron, Metis National Council President, who had said before the event she would also raise the question of an apology from the Queen, said the prince was “listening” and “acknowledging” what had happened in Canada’s past which was “important” for the country.
Ms Archibald said about her meeting with Charles, hosted by Governor General Mary Simon: “I asked for an apology from his mother the Queen, the head of the Anglican church, 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 with them, in our treaty relationship with them.
“One of the things that he did say about the relationship was that he recognised there had been failures by those who are responsible for that relationship with the Crown and I thought that was a really, not a surprising thing that he said, but that kind of acknowledgement really meant something. 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.”
The leader represents First Nations, a term used to describe indigenous peoples in Canada who are sometimes referred to as Aboriginal peoples. She also presented Charles with statements from two indigenous leaders highlighting claims that promises enshrined in treaties between their people and the Crown had not been honoured and asking for their grievances to be addressed.
Charles and Camilla will end their three-day tour celebrating the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee by visiting the Northwest Territories, where the prince will visit its ice road passage and Yellowknife Bay to see the impact of climate change on local communities. The prince will also travel to a Canadian Rangers’ base and discuss how the changing climate is affecting their work while the duchess will tour the Kaw Tay Whee School in Dettah and join a class learning a local language.