WATCH ABOVE: Premier Rachel Notley is receiving gratitude from many First Nations people after apologizing for the abuse suffered by many in residential schools. Jessica Kent has the details.
EDMONTON – Premier Rachel Notley has apologized on behalf of Alberta to indigenous peoples for decades of abuse in residential schools.
“We want the First Nation, Metis and Inuit people of Alberta to know that we deeply regret the profound harm and damage that occurred to generations of children forced to attend residential schools.” said Notley.
“While the Province of Alberta did not establish the system, members of the government did not take a stand to stop it. For this silence we apologize.”
In a speech to the legislature, Notley also added her voice to those calling for a national inquiry into missing and murdered aboriginal women.
“Developing a renewed partnership with aboriginal peoples includes shining a light on the factors that contribute to the disproportionately high rates of violence against aboriginal women,” added Minister of Aboriginal Relations Kathleen Ganley.
READ MORE: Missing and murdered indigenous women: Still looking for answers to a decades-old problem
“Calling for a national inquiry was an election promise and one of the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s findings, and I am proud that Alberta’s new government is joining every other province and territory in Canada in lending its voice to the call for a national inquiry.”
Notley’s apology comes after the release earlier this month of a report chronicling generations of abuse inflicted on thousands of aboriginal children at residential schools.
READ MORE: Canada’s aboriginal residential school system was ‘cultural genocide,’ report says
Notley also urged the federal government to hold an inquiry into the root causes of the disproportionate deaths and disappearances of aboriginal women.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s government has resisted such an inquiry, saying the issue has been studied thoroughly and that steps are being taken to remedy the problems.
With files from Global News.
Comments