Yet another apology…. this time directional!

“Premier Wynne acknowledged the event as one of the most shameful chapters in Canadian history and said the province will teach a new generation of students the truth about our shared history.”

Following on the footsteps of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau who offered apology for the KomagataMaru incident in the House of Commons, Premier of Ontario Kathleen Wynne officially apologized to Ontario Indigenous communities for the decades of mistreatment and harm of First Nations people. The apology came in the form of a response to a 381 page report that was submitted last year by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission on the abuses suffered by residents in Indigenous communities. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission heard stories of children forcibly separated from their families, communities, language and culture who ended up suffering shocking rates of mental, physical and sexual abuse. More than 6,000 Indigenous women and men who were abused at residential schools told their stories during the hearings.

Premier Kathleen Wynne was forthright in acknowledging that gap exists between the indigenous and non-indigenous, “However we measure a person’s opportunity and security in life, a disturbing gap exists between the indigenous and non-indigenous population,” the premier said to a packed house. She was articulate even to assign the reason for the gap, “It is the gap created by a country that abused and betrayed its indigenous peoples. It is a gap that swallows lives and extinguishes hope across generations,” she said. She acknowledged that Canada failed to act timely when she said, “For a long time, indigenous peoples’ calls for justice could not be heard across this yawning gulf because Canada did not want to hear them. It is thanks to the resiliency of those who endured the abuses of the past that we are finally listening.” She was remorseful of the fact that residential schools set out to take the Indian out of the childby removing them from their homes and systematically stripping them of their languages, cultures, laws and rights.

Premier Kathleen Wynne’s apology was followed by an assurance that the province will invest more than $250 million for 26 new initiatives as part of the release of a new report called The Journey Together. Premier Wynne acknowledged the event as one of the most shameful chapters in Canadian history and said the province will teach a new generation of students the truth about our shared history. Premier Kathleen Wynne was not alone in this endeavor. She was joined at a news conference by Leader of Opposition Patrick Brown, Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath and Indigenous leaders. Brown and Horwath also apologized on behalf of their parties and the people of Ontario, putting a meaning behind the apology.

The plan further under “The Journey Together” includes that the province will develop a shared understanding of the histories and addresses the racism that theindigenous people face. Another welcome step announced included addressing their social and economic challenge and ensures the development and availability of community-led restorative justice programs.

By doing so, Ontario fulfilled what it announced in February that it would be introducing mandatory Indigenous cultural sensitivity and anti-racism training for all public service employees in response to recommendations from the commission. Premier Kathleen Wynne also fulfilled another promise that Ontario would develop a plan to ensure that the impact of residential schools, the history of colonization and the importance of treaties are added to the curriculum in Ontario public schools.

Premier has set an agenda that may take years to implement. The first step has been taken and the way Premier has put it, apology supported by reason, corrective action supported by a frame work that would remove the errors committed earlier, her efforts should deliver results, Indigenous people would be hoping for.