Prince Charles’ acknowledgment of the “suffering” of Canada’s Indigenous peoples during his visit to the country is an important step, say several Native American officials, who are now calling on the monarchy to issue an “apology”.
“On behalf of my wife and myself, I want to acknowledge the suffering (of the natives) and tell them that our hearts are with them and their families,” said Thursday in Yellowknife (Northwest Territories) Prince Charles in a speech concluding his three-day visit to Canada. 876450610001_6306519005112
After stops in Saint John of Newfoundland (east) and Ottawa, the princely couple concluded their journey on Thursday in northwestern Canada where prince charles reflected on his “particularly touching encounters with residential school survivors who courageously recounted their experiences.”
“We need to listen to the truth of the lived experiences of Indigenous peoples and we need to work to better understand their pain and suffering,” he added.
Apologies demanded
For the president of the Métis National Council, Cassidy Caron, it is an “important step”. “It means a lot to us to see that Prince Charles and his family want to listen and hear the truths of Indigenous peoples,” she added.
For her part, RoseAnne Archibald, the national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, explained that she found the prince “very empathetic”. But she added that she still hoped for an apology “not only on behalf of the Anglican Church for what happened in these institutions, but also for the failures in the relationship between the Crown and First Nations people”.
This visit comes a year after the discovery in Canada of the first graves of anonymous children on the site of former residential schools for natives, which caused a scandal and exposed the country’s colonial history.
“Cultural Genocide”
Between the end of the 19th century and the 1980s, some 150,000 indigenous children were forcibly recruited into more than 130 boarding schools across the country, where they were cut off from their family, language and culture.
Thousands never came back. The authorities estimate their number between 4,000 and 6,000. In 2015, a national commission of inquiry called this system “cultural genocide”.
Pope Francis, who already presented his apologies in April before a delegation of Canadian indigenous representatives, will visit the country at the end of July to renew them.
Original article published on BFMTV.com
–
