For Immediate Release June 12, 2008
“It was a Good Day,” Komarnicki said in Response
to the Government’s Apology Offered to Former Students
of Indian Residential Schools
Ottawa (June 12, 2008)-- Ed Komarnicki, M.P., Souris- Moose Mountain and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration
The following statement was released by Ed Komarnicki, Member of Parliament for Souris-Moose Mountain and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration following the Government of Canada’s historic formal apology in the House of Commons on June 11, 2008, to former students of Indian Residential Schools.
It was a good day. It was a good day for the soul too! The statement of apology to former students of Indian Residential Schools reached farther and was in effect a heartfelt apology to all First Nations members for a tragic and sad period in our nation’s history.
Without truth there cannot be reconciliation. As referred to in the statement by the Prime Minister of Canada: ‘For more than a century, Indian Residential Schools separated over 150,000 Aboriginal children from their families and communities. The two primary objectives were to remove and isolate the children from the influence of their homes, families, traditions and cultures, and to assimilate them into the dominant culture.’
Can you imagine a town or city without school aged children because they are gone? While some former students have spoken positively about their experiences, they are far overshadowed by tragic accounts of emotional, physical and sexual abuse. It caused deep hurts and scars impossible to erase.
A true apology and its acceptance is not something that can be orchestrated. It must be meant and it must be real. It may not come out in perfect form as humanity grapples to express raw emotion and to make things right. In my view, it was well done on the part of all parties who played a part and had the honour and privilege to be present in the House. It truly was an honour and privilege for me to be there in the House on such a historic occasion.
The enormity of the tragedy and the fullness of the apology was captured in the totality of all that was said and done in the House of Commons. It was fitting to have First Nations represented there in the House. It was good to hear the statement, ‘What we did was wrong…we are sorry.’ Why were voices not raised as children were taken from their moms and dads and brothers and sisters? It destroyed family ties and the basic freedom to choose how you would want to live. It deprived the children from the love, guidance and protection of their parents.
That choice and that policy was wrong and to say we are sorry for what has taken place in a shameful part of our history is the right thing to do. The apology was respectful and it was liberating. As Chief Phil Fontaine stated, ‘I finally heard Canada say it is sorry.’ It opens a new door to rebuild our relationship with dignity, confidence and mutual respect. It is a positive step forward, one that needed to take place most suitably in the House of Commons in the capital of our nation. Well done. It was a good day.
