A powerful symbol, but will there be action to back it up?

[morgan_dhu]

So The Canadian government has finally, formally, fully and respectfully acknowledged the deep and damaging consequences of the decades-long policy of family separation and forced integration of aboriginal peoples, the cornerstone of which was the Indian Residential School system, and apologised to Canada's Aboriginal peoples on behalf of both the government and the people of Canada.

It was a powerful moment. All business of the day in Parlianment was set aside, so that only the speech of the Prime minister, the responses of the leaders of the opposition parties, and finally the voices of selected representatives of the major organisations of Aboriginal peoples would be heard in the House this day.

It was an emotional moment. Many of the politicians appeared to be profoundly affected. Many Canadians, Aboriginal and otherwise, have been quoted in the media since, saying that they were touched, that they choked up, that they cried, that they felt some kind of visceral response to the public naming and owning of one of our greatest national shames.

It was a deeply symbolic moment.

But I can't help but wonder what's coming next. We have acknowledged the stolen children, but we're still trying to avoid returning the stolen lands, still fighting land claims. We set up a racist system of reserves and did our best to force Aboriginal peoples who would not assimilate the way we wanted them to, to become a marginalised people living under a paternalistic governance that eroded self-confidence and self-reliance. We allowed conditions on those reserves to fall well below the minimum health and safety standards of any other part of this country, to the point where many aboriginal communities live in substandard and often unhealthy housing, have no safe drinking water, have no local industries where people can work and no recreational facilities where young people can play and learn. And on it goes. The list of injuries committed against the native peoples of this land we call "ours" is a lengthy one.

We have apologised. For some of what we've done, anyway.

When do we start making meaningful, long-lasting amends?

Comments

[hawkeye7.livejournal.com]

Since, unlike Canada, there was no money coming as part of the apology, it has more been part of a change in attitude, moving away from the sentiments of the former government.

However, the military intervention in the Northern Territory (Emergency Response to protect Aboriginal children in the NT), launched during the election campaign by the former government, is still going on. This is without doubt the largest and most heavy handed effort ever. There'll be a progress report soon, and we'll see what, if anything, has been achieved.