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PM offers apology and asks for forgiveness
- Article from:
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Saskatchewan Sage
- Article date:
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July 1, 2008
- Author:
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Copyright informationCopyright Aboriginal Multi-Media Society Jul 2008. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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Mr. Speaker, I stand before you today to offer an apology to former students of Indian residential schools. The treatment of children in Indian residential schools is a sad chapter in our history.
In the 1870's, the federal government, partly in order to meet its obligation to educate aboriginal children, began to play a role in the development and administration of these schools.
Two primary objectives of the residential schools system were to remove and isolate children from the influence of their homes, families, traditions and cultures, and to assimilate them into the dominant culture.
These objectives were based on the assumption Aboriginal cultures and spiritual beliefs were inferior ...