Indigenous Justice: Apologies and Accountability are Two
Separate Things
31 August 2010By Krystalline Kraus
Thursday June 24, 2010 was the G20 medicine walk for
Indigenous rights. From the Defenders of the Land call
out, "When the G8/G20 comes to Canada in June let's
tell the world the real story about Canada's record on
Indigenous rights: a continued policy that aims to
terminate Indian Peoples by removing our land and
resource base and denying us the right to
self-determination, under the power of the Indian Act
and the Department of Indian Affairs."
Thousands of people from First Nations and their
supporters marched, sang, drummed and offered tobacco
through the streets of Toronto to remind both Canadian
citizens and the Canadian government alike that
attention must be paid to the issues facing their
people.
Through the Canadian government, there have been
apologies, but little action.
In the lead up to the June 24 medicine walk, I wrote:
"With all the government's attempts to make Canada
look perfect in the world's eyes this weekend, and
with activists pointing fingers at global governments
and economies, we must be truthful regarding our own
record of human rights.
This kind of accountability must be important to any
activist who wants to be the change they want to see.
How we treat ourselves and each other as brothers and
sisters on the land we are blessed to be able to share
is what will give our hearts courage.
Because it takes courage to confront the truth: Canada
likes to play coy on the world stage and present
itself as a world example but our "glowing hearts"
cannot shine bright and true until we have the
integrity to face our own shadows here on Mother Earth
on the land we call Canada; and Canada's dirty big
secret is our treatment of First Nations communities."
An apology without accountability and action towards
change is meaningless.
But like I said, there have been apologies......
*
On Wednesday August 18, 2010, the Federal government
issued a formal apology for the Inuit High Arctic
relocation program which saw 87 Inuit relocated about
1,200 kilometres to Canada's most northerly
settlements. The Inuit from Inukjuak, a community in
northern Quebec, were moved to Grise Fiord and
Resolute, in what is now the territory of Nunavut, in
1953 and 1956. Another three families from Pond Inlet,
Nunavut, were also moved north to help the Inukjuaq
families adjust to their new environment
On behalf of the Canadian government, Indian and
Northern Affairs Minister John Duncan said the
government regrets the "mistakes and broken promises"
in the transplanting of Inuit families - "High Arctic
Exiles" - to unfamiliar and harsh Northern territory.
Due to poor planning, the relocated families spent
their first winter in tents with not enough food and
supplies. Critics argue that the Inuit were moved as a
measure to assist the government in asserting Canada's
sovereignty in the Arctic during the Cold War.
In his August 18 speech in Inukjuak, Nunavik, Duncan
said:
"On behalf of the Government of Canada and all
Canadians, we would like to offer a full and sincere
apology to Inuit for the relocation of families from
Inukjuak and Pond Inlet to Grise Fiord and Resolute
Bay during the 1950s.
We would like to express our deepest sorrow for the
extreme hardship and suffering caused by the
relocation. The families were separated from their
home communities and extended families by more than a
thousand kilometres. They were not provided with
adequate shelter and supplies. They were not properly
informed of how far away and how different from
Inukjuak their new homes would be, and they were not
aware that they would be separated into two
communities once they arrived in the High Arctic.
Moreover, the Government failed to act on its promise
to return anyone that did not wish to stay in the High
Arctic to their old homes.
The Government of Canada deeply regrets the mistakes
and broken promises of this dark chapter of our
history and apologizes for the High Arctic relocation
having taken place. We would like to pay tribute to
the relocatees for their perseverance and courage.
Despite the suffering and hardship, the relocatees and
their descendants were successful in building vibrant
communities in Grise Fiord and Resolute Bay. The
Government of Canada recognizes that these communities
have contributed to a strong Canadian presence in the
High Arctic.
The relocation of Inuit families to the High Arctic is
a tragic chapter in Canada's history that we should
not forget, but that we must acknowledge, learn from
and teach our children. Acknowledging our shared
history allows us to move forward in partnership and
in a spirit of reconciliation.
The Government of Canada and Inuit have accomplished
many great things together, and all Canadians have
benefitted from the contributions of Inuit to our
culture and history. We must continue to strengthen
our connections and deepen our understanding and
respect. We must jointly build a stronger, healthier
and more vibrant Inuit Nunangat and, in turn, build a
stronger, healthier and more vibrant Canada.
The Government of Canada hopes that this apology will
help heal the wounds caused by events that began
nearly 60 years ago and turn the page on this sad
chapter in Canada's history. May it strengthen the
foundation upon which the Government of Canada and
Inuit can build and help keep the True North Strong
and Free."
*
This government apology follows the Canadian
government apology - delivered by Stephen Harper - on
Wednesday June 11, 2010 for the government's role in
Indian residential schools.
In the House of Commons, he delivered a speech saying
"we are sorry" and said, "Today, we recognize that
this policy of assimilation was wrong, has caused
great harm, and has no place in our country...The
government now recognizes that the consequences of the
Indian residential schools policy were profoundly
negative and that this policy has had a lasting and
damaging impact on aboriginal culture, heritage and
language.
While some former students have spoken positively
about their experiences at residential schools, these
stories are far overshadowed by tragic accounts of the
emotional, physical and sexual abuse and neglect of
helpless children, and their separation from powerless
families and communities.
The legacy of Indian residential schools has
contributed to social problems that continue to exist
in many communities today. It has taken extraordinary
courage for the thousands of survivors that have come
forward to speak publicly about the abuse they
suffered."
He continued, "The government recognizes that the
absence of an apology has been an impediment to
healing and reconciliation.
Therefore, on behalf of the government of Canada and
all Canadians, I stand before you, in this chamber so
central to our life as a country, to apologize to
aboriginal peoples for Canada's role in the Indian
residential schools system.
To the approximately 80,000 living former students,
and all family members and communities, the government
of Canada now recognizes that it was wrong to forcibly
remove children from their homes and we apologize for
having done this.
We now recognize that it was wrong to separate
children from rich and vibrant cultures and
traditions, that it created a void in many lives and
communities, and we apologize for having done this.
We now recognize that, in separating children from
their families, we undermined the ability of many to
adequately parent their own children and sowed the
seeds for generations to follow, and we apologize for
having done this.
We now recognize that, far too often, these
institutions gave rise to abuse or neglect and were
inadequately controlled, and we apologize for failing
to protect you."
*
On Saturday June 12, 2010, Federal Indian Affairs
Minister Chuck Strahl accepted a "charter of
forgiveness" from members of the aboriginal community
as part of the healing process for survivors of
Canada's residential schools.
The charter, stems from Prime Minister Stephen
Harper's apology two years ago for previous government
policies of assimilation. Standing in the House of
Commons, Harper apologized on behalf of the government
and asked for "forgiveness of the Aboriginal Peoples
of this country for failing them so profoundly."
Harper's apology also triggered the Indian Residential
Schools Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Jessica Yee, in her June 2, 2008 rabble.ca column
Residential schools: Sorry excuse for an apology
writes:
"While it is good to see the government showing some
sort of accountability to the extreme genocide they
have inflicted on Aboriginal peoples, I have to wonder
if Harper even really knows what he's apologizing for.
Because his government has, so far:
--Refused to sign the UN Declaration on the Rights of
Indigenous Peoples, making Canada an international
human rights laughing stock.
--Cut the Status of Women, which included major
funding losses for the Sisters in Spirit Initiative
that advocated for victims of violence at the Native
Women's Association of Canada, their largest
contribution agreement.
--Thrown out the Kelowna Accord, which, say what you
will about it, was the first time the government
actually asked Aboriginal people to be at the same
table and collectively make decisions for ourselves.
--Done nothing to help our people protect our own land
and has silently watched our leaders be thrown in
jail, from the KI Six in Northern Ontario to Mohawk
territory to the tar sands in Alberta, etc. Twenty per
cent of inmates in Canada are Aboriginal, while we
only make up roughly three per cent of the
population."
*
The Federal government has also announced in its 2010
Federal budget cuts to the Aboriginal Healing
Foundation which affects 134 community projects across
the country providing cultural healing services to
Aboriginal people through projects that address the
intergenerational impacts of the Canadian Indian
Residential School System.
On March 29, 2010, six women staged a sit-in outside
the Ottawa office of Indian and Northern Affairs
Minister Chuck Strahl, protesting the funding cuts and
the hypocrisy of a government that apologizes for the
residential schools and then within two years
withdraws funding for healing programs.
*
Regarding the issue of residential schools, the Québec
Native Women's Association has called upon the
Canadian government to acknowledge that residential
schools were an act of genocide.
Quote: "The Canadian Government must acknowledge that
Residential School was an act of genocide; a crime
against humanity. Apologies may be recognized but they
are not necessarily accompanied by forgiveness as no
nation or groups have ever been forgiven for their
acts of genocide.
In order for this apology to be considered genuine,
more efforts must be undertaken to correct current
oppressive measures under the Indian Act that prevent
Indigenous peoples from prospering socially,
culturally, politically and economically."
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