June 12, 2008 / 09:46
I think its great that Harper apologized. As a country we erred and it affected thousands of our citizens. I have no idea why most of us had never heard of “residential schools’ up to only a few months ago or why it take so long to close these down and why didn’t a previous PM apologize? Who the hell knows the answer to these questions?
I thought the media over played this a tab – liking it to the Jewish holocaust. It was sad, regrettable and terrible for some involved but it wasn’t a holocaust.
Now that Harper has apologized lets all move on including some of the natives who think his apology wasn’t good enough and are now looking for more money.
June 12, 2008 / 10:45
Fred, I agree with you about the recent trend of apologizing for things that occurred long ago, by people who have been dead and buried for decades, but I can't agree with you on this one. This Residential School program is a lot more recent that 80 years ago. The last one didn't close until well into the 90's. That's way to recent for an enlightened society to have allowed this to continue. If it had started and ended in the 1800's, we could say "Don't blame us, it was the antiquated thinking of the time", but this continued under the watch of government that we elected, and ignorant of the facts or not, we should consider ourselves accountable and apologize.
June 12, 2008 / 11:36
When you say "right thing to do" are you referrnig to taking children out of their homes and assimilating them into schools that taught them Christian ways? I sincerly hope not, because these people were robbed of their own culture and assimilated into another one...
An is an apology going to hurt anyone? No. Might it bring closure or comfort to some people? Yes.
For once your Harper does something goosd, and you crap on it for it. Unreal.
Oh, here's another fine example of "Steve" bending over backwards to do anything GWB asks: look at the new Copyright law about to be passed. That's the US way, not ours.
June 12, 2008 / 11:48
And another thing... not just Jews were affected by that Holocaust. Your idea that we should forget is absurd because if allowed to forget our mistakes, we risk repeating them. Look at China. They kill people for practising Falun Gong, then sell their organs on the black market. Histopry helps us remember how wrong that is, and on a global scale we try to speak out about these wrongs, hoping they will change.
It is not a solution to forget. Why would you want to erase history. It happened. We were wrong. Sorry if that bothers you, but it's a reality. Harper did a good thing.
June 12, 2008 / 11:59
To me it comes down to motive and abuse. Yes we acknowledge there was rampant abuse by the teachers and administrators so lets deal with the motivation of the gov’t (at the time) to implement these schools.
Was it to strip these kids of their Indian heritage (as so many in the media have claimed)? Was it the Christian churches who saw it as an easy way to capture thousands of new converts? OR was it to save these kids from a hell hole existence from their neglectful parents who refused to provide the basic needs to their offspring (needs like an education, proper nutrition, healthcare, etc)?
Either way an apology was needed and PM Harper should be commended as the previous PMs lacked the stones to do it.
June 12, 2008 / 12:09
The last residential school was closed in 1998.
Fred, how would you feel if Melanie was taken from you, forced into an education system that you had no control over & was molested, beaten, tortured, raped & potentially even murdered. If this happened...say 20 years ago..would you say "Nah, don't worry about an apology".
Bernardo's dirty deeds happened almost nearly 20 years ago. If he was to offer to say "sorry" would you say "nah, it happened in the past man, no worries". Oops, it's just history.
Or how about Steven Truscott. He was acquitted of killing that girl back in the 50's. He spent his life in jail. Given that it happened decades ago, I assume under your logic we should NOT apologize for what he went thru.
June 12, 2008 / 12:19
Argie. You're a little off on the whole Harper is a hero for saying sorry
In 1998, the Canadian government created a fund & allocated nearly 400 million dollars. In 1998, the Liberals were in power. I think it was around 2004/5 that nearly 2 billion was set aside to compensate the victims of the residential schools.
All of that happened during the reign of the Liberals. Harper just made the public apology.
June 12, 2008 / 14:13
Quoting from an earlier poster: "...forced into an education system that you had no control over..."
---------------
Hmmmm... sounds exactly like the public indoctrination; er... public education system today. Parents; just to complain about the pro-homosexual-abortion-on-demand-anti-traditional-family-values being pushed upon students of all creeds today!
Since the educrats started pushing that crap back in the 60s, no wonder we are reaping what has been sown; broken families, worshipping at the cult of single-parenthood, drugs, gangs, STD's running rampant, etc., while Johnny still can't read or spell!
Hope we can expect an apology from all the 'progressive' lefty-twits who put that "education" program together.
June 12, 2008 / 14:55
Anon makes a lot of good points. That’s why so many parents are paying through their noses to send their kids to a private school. This would also explain why some Toronto public schools are half empty despite the rapid increase in population.
June 12, 2008 / 15:07
*chuckles*
Well Anonymous..I find it a stretch to compare the Residential School system & our own public system. While you might not like the public education system, it's unlikely that your child will be beaten, raped or murdered while going to the school up the street.
As for empty public schools, population growth is immaterial. People have less kids than they used to, so if 500000 adults move to Toronto without kids...the population goes up, schools stay empty.
As for the "ill's of todays society, they existed "back in the good old days". In 2008, when you're 16 and get preggie, you deal with it. In 1960, you went to Auntie Ehms farm and the baby was given away.
I also don't think that the number of broken families is due to the public education system, but it might be due to the speed of life & the "need"" of the populace to have 2 cars, a suburban home & take out every night. Live fast, die fast dude.
June 12, 2008 / 15:30
I’ve been with you on the apology stories until this one Fred – even the church apologized (except for the Catholics – of course); and these are recent atrocities. I still don’t believe that this should be used as a crutch or lead to arbitrary handouts.
That being said, I wonder if the Sto:lo nation has ever received an apology from the Haida for coming into their villages, kidnapping them and turning them into slaves, have you?
What is the statute of limitations are for apologies, and how you define who apologies for what, this is all very confusing.
June 12, 2008 / 15:54
“In 2008, when you're 16 and get preggie, you deal with it. In 1960, you went to Auntie Ehms farm and the baby was given away.”
Irvine: Call me strange but I think the 1960 method worked a little bit better. I know a few people who were products of this method - they were adopted by caring people who raised them as their kids. In 2008 the baby is either killed/aborted or is raised in a crummy environment where there is little hope.
June 12, 2008 / 16:57
I think Truscott did it.
June 13, 2008 / 13:58
"*chuckles*
Well Anonymous..I find it a stretch to compare the Residential School system & our own public system. It's unlikely that your child will be beaten, raped or murdered while going to the school up the street."
------------------
Another case of liberal head in the sand-itis.
How about some facts to cure liberal-itis; as that sand is obviously affecting breathing orafices and retarding brain activity.
Recent school stabbings in Scarboro; female students raped in the vicinity of a Barrie high school, (let alone C.W. Jefferies and the girl being forced to have sex with some wanna-be 'gangsta rappers.') Numerous examples of teachers using their position of authority in the public school system to sexually abuse students. Seems to me beatings, rapes and murders DO take place at public schools, Irvine!
Certainly not something to 'chuckle' up... rather, incidents like that make me throw up.
It's mamby-pamby liberals who've allowed this to happen. Public schools are just as bad as the residential ones; and I'd gladly forgo that 2nd car/take-out every night to be able to afford sending my kid to private school, where values and morals are held in high regard.
June 14, 2008 / 10:36
This Blog sure has alot of right wingers, flying around in circles.
June 16, 2008 / 14:57
LOL, sure Anon, you really believe your kids in public school face the same threats as the kids in Residential Schools.
You read where I used the word "unlikely". Because it's "unlikely" to happen. I didn't say it couldn't
I'm a liberal ? LOL. You're the guy living in Ontario (Liberal HQ). I'm a redneck Albertan & proud of it.
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While trying not to sound too cruel or hard, I’ve got to say, it bugs the shit out of me that the Prime Minister offered another apology yesterday.
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