First Nations in Canada react to Joe Biden apology

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Miles Morrisseau ICT

KETTLE AND STONEY POINT FIRST NATION — The historic apology by President Joe Biden has Indigenous peoples in Canada reflecting on similar events on this side of the border.

Jennifer Wood, Neyaashiinigmiing First Nation Ojibway, is a residential school survivor who travelled to Maskwacis Cree Nation in Alberta, Canada, to hear Pope Francis apologize in July 2022.

“An apology is very personal to every individual survivor, so we have to consider that, and we have to understand that an apology to me could be very different from an apology to you. So that's what I felt in Maskwacis,” Wood told ICT. “That it was very personal and some take it in their own private time how they wish to absorb the apology…I could feel the tremendous weight, the weight that was lifted off of some shoulders, but then again, a lot of a lot of them were also embracing and remembering and it was a painful time for them as well.”

Wood is the Intergovernmental and Community Relations Liaison for the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, she believes that apologies play a significant role in healing and reconciliation.

“The President of the United States of America apologizing, that speaks volumes and I'm certain that they're going to take it as much as we took it up here in Canada that it was a solemn moment,” Wood said. “People were reflecting and some people were accepting the apologies and some had to go and take time too. I heard that more than once, that it took some people a week to absorb what just happened, and they had to work with themselves to let it sink in and to know that after all this time, they did feel validation for the harms that were done to them in the boarding schools in Canada.”

Related: Historic Apology: Boarding school history ‘a sin on our soul’

Previous to the Pope’s apology in 2022, Prime Minister Stephen Harper apologized in the House of Commons on June 11, 2008.

“While no apology can erase the pain, these acknowledgements are critical in bringing truth to light. We know firsthand how vital it is to face the past with honesty to build a future grounded in healing and justice,” said Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Acting Grand Chief Betsy Kennedy in a press release. “Canada’s 2008 apology was a catalyst for significant advocacy efforts, such as the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which allowed residential school survivors to share their stories, document the atrocities, and outline Calls to Action for all Canadians.”

Harper apologized on behalf of Canada for their role in operating the residential school system.

“The government recognizes that the absence of an apology has been an impediment to healing and reconciliation. Therefore, on behalf of the Government of Canada and all Canadians, I stand before you, in this Chamber so central to our life as a country, to apologize to Aboriginal peoples for Canada's role in the Indian Residential Schools system,” Harper said. “We now recognize that, far too often, these institutions gave rise to abuse or neglect and were inadequately controlled, and we apologize for failing to protect you. Not only did you suffer these abuses as children, but as you became parents, you were powerless to protect your own children from suffering the same experience, and for this we are sorry.”

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada revealed the widespread abuse, neglect, and cultural destruction experienced by more than 150,000 Indigenous children who were forcibly removed from their families and sent to federally-funded Christian residential schools. Many of these children never returned home, with thousands dying in the institutions that sought to erase their identities.

Similarly, the U.S. Department of Interior’s investigation into the Indian boarding schools, led by Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, Laguna Pueblo, has unveiled the systemic harm inflicted on Native American, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian children shedding light on the common struggles of First Peoples on both sides of the border.

Protesters hold a banner during a Mass with Pope Francis at the National Shrine of Saint Anne de Beaupre, on July 28, 2022, in Saint Anne de Beaupre, Quebec, Canada, calling for rescission of the Doctrine of Discovery, which allows Christian settlers to "discover" lands that are home to non-Christian people&period; The doctrine, which originated with a papal bull in the 1400s, was incorporated into U&period;S&period; law with the Johnson v&period; M'Intosh ruling by the U&period;S&period; Supreme Court in 1823&period; The Vatican renounced the doctrine with a surprise announcement on March 30, 2023, but that will not change U&period;S&period; case law&period; (AP Photo/John Locher)

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“We commend President Biden for taking this step, and we stand with our Native American relatives in their fight for recognition and justice,” added Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Acting Grand Chief Betsy Kennedy. “We know how important it is to hold space for survivors’ voices and experiences. We hope this apology sparks tangible action, much like our Truth and Reconciliation Commission here in Canada, to address the ongoing legacies of these colonial policies.”

The National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak stated in a release that she would like to see President Biden and future administrations working closely with Indigenous people on the road to healing.

“The history of boarding schools in the United States echoes the experiences of First Nations in Canada, where children were taken from their families and placed in residential institutions designed to erase our languages, cultures, and identities. The impacts of these schools have affected generations," stated Woodhouse Nepinak. "This acknowledgment is important, but healing will take time. I urge President Biden, and the incoming president-elect after next month’s election, to engage meaningfully with Native American communities and ensure that this apology leads to real actions that address the harm caused.”

In addition to Indigenous peoples hearing words of acknowledgement and atonement for historical wrongs it is also important for non-Indigenous people to hear the truth from their leaders. “That says right there, that that did happen and that Canadians, the average Canadian, the greater, larger public when they're listening to the Vatican apologize. Certainly they must know that it was the truth that all those years that did happen,” Wood said. “If you have a Vatican, the highest of the Vatican, coming to Canada to apologize, that really reinforces that it did happen. It is the truth, and it's public and it's not under the rug anymore. So it did play a pivotal role for Canadians to hear that and watch that on the news nationwide.”

Wood does believe that Canada is further on the path of truth and reconciliation, and they offer precedent for others to follow.

“We have set precedents across our country and other countries are looking at Canada, at the steps that we're taking, even with the murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls and boys, and looking at the 60s scoop and looking at the apologies that have come to Canada from the Vatican, from the Pope, from the Prime Minister, while certainly other countries are going to be looking at us and asking themselves, ‘Well, how come we haven't done that?’” asked Wood. “And I have to ask myself, ‘How come a country as large as the United States of America didn't know enough to apologize for the atrocities of taking children and forcing them into boarding homes?’”

TIMELINE Canada’s Residential School System

1831 Canada’s First Residential School Established in Brantford, ON. The Mohawk Institute was run by the Anglican Church.

1867 Canada becomes a country with the British North America Act.

1876 Indian Act is added to the Canadian Constitution giving the government complete control over Indigenous people’s lives.

1880 Indian Act is amended to enshrine the Catholic and Protestant churches are responsible of Indian education.

1922 Dr. Peter Bryce publishes “A National Crime” which details the “horrific” number of student deaths in Residential Schools.

August 6 1993 Anglican Church apologizes to Indigenous peoples.

1997 Last residential school closes in Kivalliq Hall in Rankin Inlet, Nunavut.

March 31, 1998 The Aboriginal Healing Foundation was launched with an initial budget of $350 million. The mission of the foundation was to provide resources which will promote reconciliation and encourage and support Aboriginal people and their communities in building and reinforcing sustainable healing processes that address the legacy of physical, sexual, mental, cultural, and spiritual abuses in the residential school system, including intergenerational impacts. The foundation received an additional $165 Million before ending its mandate in 2014.

January 7, 1998 The Minister of Indian Affairs, Jane Stewart announces the federal government’s Statement of Reconciliation which includes an apology for Canada’s role in the Indian Residential School System.

May 2004 Royal Canadian Mounted Police apologizes

2007 The Indian Residential School Settlement is put into action with funds to settle claims with survivors and supports for reconciliation and commemoration. Truth and Reconciliation Commission begin its 8-year mandate with an initial investment of $60 Million. $8.5 Million was also set aside for a commemoration fund.

June 11, 2008 Prime Minister Stephen Harper apologizes to Indigenous People in the Canadian House of Commons for Canada’s role in the Indian Residential School System.

July 25, 2022 Pope Francis apologizes for the role of the Catholic Church in the residential school system.

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