Press Releases:

June 11, 2008

Harper’s Apology “Significant Step”

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper's apology on June 11 to his country's Aboriginal peoples was a significant step toward national reconciliation, officials at the International Center for Transitional Justice said in Ottawa.

On behalf of the government, Mr. Harper offered an apology in the House of Commons for more than a century of abuse of Inuit, Métis and First Nations children, who were forcibly taken from their families and placed in church- and state-run institutions that sought to change the children's cultural identity. The government sought to use the Indian Residential School system to "civilize" the country's indigenous population through forced assimilation.

"Today Canada has taken a significant step toward reconciliation of Aboriginal people with other Canadian citizens," said Eduardo Gonzalez, deputy director of the Americas Program at the ICTJ.

"We hope his statement means the government will respect the independence of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and support its work, its conclusions and its recommendations," Mr. Gonzalez said. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission officially began its work June 1.

Mr. Harper's speech marked the first time a Canadian prime minister has formally apologized to the victims of the Indian Residential School System. Accounts by thousands of students documented that many suffered physical and sexual abuse. Many died from poor care. Authorities did not close the last of the schools until 1996.

"He clearly recognized that the Residential School system contributed to the problems that affect Aboriginal peoples today - their education, their language and the strength of their culture," Mr. Gonzalez said.

The ICTJ now urges Canada to sign and ratify the United Nations Declaration on Rights of Indigenous People, as a next step toward recognizing its Aboriginal peoples. The ICTJ looks forward to monitoring the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and civil society initiatives in support of the TRC.

To learn more about the ICTJ's work in Canada, click here.

About the ICTJ

The International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ) assists countries pursuing accountability for past mass atrocity or human rights abuse. The Center works in societies emerging from repressive rule or armed conflict, as well as in established democracies where historical injustices or systemic abuse remain unresolved.

To learn more about the ICTJ, please visit www.ictj.org

CONTACT
Robert Ruby
Communications Director
Tel + 1 646 919 6599
rruby@ictj.org

Eduardo Gonzalez
Deputy Director, Americas Program
Tel + 1 347 244 0106
egonzalez@ictj.org

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