Inquiry and public apology for Canada’s ‘most tragic chapter’
Monday, June 2nd, 2008Rob Gillies; 2/6/08
A truth and reconciliation commission examining what native Indian leaders call one of the most tragic and racist chapters in Canada’s history will begin its work today. From the 19th century until the 1970s, more than 150,000 aboriginal children were required to attend state-funded church schools in a painful attempt to rid them of their native cultures and integrate them into Canadian society. The Canadian Government admitted 10 years ago that physical and sexual abuse in the once-mandatory schools was rampant. Many students recall being beaten for speaking their native languages, and they lost touch with their parents and customs. Contemporary accounts suggest up to half the children in some institutions died of tuberculosis. “It’s the darkest, most tragic chapter in Canadian history and virtually no one knows about this,” said Phil Fontaine, the national chief of the Assembly of First Nations.
