“I hereby apologize for anything that was done by my ancestors, my government or me before today”
Now, can we move on!
Every so often, you hear of a politician stand up and apologize. The apology is never for how they are currently screwing up our lives, but for something they actually didn’t do themselves.
Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron issued an apology this week over the deaths of 14 unarmed Irish demonstrators by British troops in an incident known in Ireland as “Bloody Sunday” in 1972.
Last week Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued an apology to our nations native people when more than a century ago, about 150,000 native Canadian children were sent to boarding schools run by churches and the government to “civilize and Christianize” them.
In the U.S., On July 30, 2008, the House of Representatives passed a resolution apologizing for American slavery and subsequent discriminatory laws.
In 2006, the Canadian government officially apologized to thousands of Chinese immigrants that were charged a special tax when they arrived in the early 20th century.
These are just four examples, the list of these apologies is long and for all of these incidents, it is a black mark on those countries’ histories, but can we finally dispense with the public apologies?
In the end this is just political rhetoric that is used to garner votes for whatever group was offended. The by product is that groups such as our own native people feel more justified in threatening our society with political unrest.
With the HST just weeks away, the federal government has included the province of Ontario natives in an exemption from the Liberal tax. A threat was made that blockades would be erected during the G8/G20 summit causing disruption for incoming world leaders. Stephen Harper and company caved and the natives scored another victory.
With apologies made, cheap cigarettes, tax exemptions and government money to keep them living on their reserves, has the government not made amends for the past?
In Caledonia, a whole town has been kept hostage for years now while the Liberal government tip toes through political correctness in deciding how much more of their “native land” to return to them.
I do think that our past leaders were wrong in some of their actions in settling our country but time to move on. This country can only become great if the sins of the past are forgiven and we all work together to keep building towards a better future.
I can’t help being shocked by seeing someone not understanding how the past affects the future. I can however understand that anyone in a culture that still accepts that someone can discover a somewhere where they found people already living. Then take credit for it’s discovery, needs to solve that brain freeze before they can be capable of higher thinking. I can however enlighten you by telling you this. Instead of looking at the natives as getting a handout, start thinking of it as rent. I do agree with you on the fact that these apologies should stop because they mean nothing. You say sorry for letting a door go on the person behind you of for stepping on someone toes. You can’t say sorry after you kill someone or commit genocide against a people or race. So sit back and use that space between your ears and figure out what would appease you if the shoe was on your foot.
Apology accepted, now how about honoring all the native treaties you signed with us way back when, and traded vast tracts of land for cloth and beads? We still have the wampum belts in our community centers, they were promises, actual agreements that were not honored.
By the way, you are misinformed. Natives do pay taxes, 98% of native don’t work on reserves where there is little industry. Natives who work off reserves pay all taxes. I live on a reserve, I know, the only tax we do not pay is property tax.
As for its time to get over it and stop apologizing for the mistakes of the past? Tell that to generations of natives who live with alcohol and substance abuse every day. My Ancestors were all alcoholics, every generation up to the present. Most of the natives on my reserve are alcoholics, they live in poverty and commit suicide in huge numbers. Do you think that might be genetic or biological? Or brought on by generations of abuse from the white population? My Father’s army record lists his ethnicity as a “Savage, skin colour black.” He served in the Canadian Expeditionary Force in WW 2, he never received a Veterans pension even though he was wounded.
You seem to have no idea how Native people are treated, but I do, I live it every day. So, take your little white people blog/rant and go back and rethink the things you write in ignorance of an entire race of people.