By David F. Dawes

A much-anticipated apology was the centre of attention in Ottawa June 11, as Prime Minister Stephen Harper acknowledged the damage done to many Aboriginal Canadians by the notorious residential schools system.

The apology was seen by many as a crucial component of the long sought  resolution of the scandal, in conjunction with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) now being conducted.

One key observer of the process is Elijah Harper. The former MP, best known for his role in defeating the Meech Lake Accord, participated in the launching of the TRC; he is also a survivor of the residential school system.

“The prime minister, by expressing the apology, is helping the healing begin,” Harper told In The World. 

Most importantly, the apology is “an acknowledgement of the wrong committed against the Aboriginal people.”

The commission, he said, could play a critical role in addressing the history and scale of the tragedy, if it is conducted properly.

The TRC “has to be sensitive. There will have to be an atmosphere where people don’t feel intimidated. Some elders will require translation of their experiences,” he said.

The TRC “doesn’t have the legal authority to compel people,” he noted. “It will result in a study; but we’ve had so many studies done.”

Nevertheless, he said, “I think it will capture the harm done, and the feelings of the people.”

There will be inevitable omissions, he added. “Obviously, they can’t hear from everybody. Some things will be criminal in nature, and need to be handled legally.”

He also expressed caution, citing the limitations of Truth and Reconciliation Commission held in  South Africa some years ago.

Some participants, he said, “felt re-victimized. There were no support systems in place.”

Despite possible inadequacies, he said, the TRC “will bring some healing, for some people.”

Last March in Winnipeg, Harper participated in ‘Remembering the Children’ – one of a series of events held in major Canadian cities, introducing the public to the TRC.

Also participating were leaders of the United Church of Canada, the Roman Catholic Church, the Presbyterian Church in Canada and the Anglican Church of Canada – all churches which once ran residential schools.

The event, said Harper, “was a bringing together of the churches. It was opening up the doors to the process of reconciliation.

“For me, it was important that the heads of the churches be there. The spiritual side of the issue is very central.

Many people are expecting that this will be the beginning of a new relationship.”

Reconciliation, he asserted, “needs to be more clearly defined. According to the dictionary, it means ‘to make things right.’ How do you go abut making things right? There are consequences to sin, and they won’t go away – regardless of whether there’s an apology.”

Harper made a poignant analogy, comparing the damage done to Natives with a woman who has become pregnant because of rape. “There are consequences for the government. Many people have lost languages, and cultural identity. How do we address that?”

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The tragedy, he pointed out, has affected several generations. Many contemporary Natives, he maintained, “are physically going through the motions of being an Indian; but inside, they are missing fulfillment.”

The roots of this malady, he contended, extended back to Canada’s early history.

“When we signed treaties, that meant we were equal partners. But the government proceeded to enact legislation – without the input of First Nations people – to assimilate us.

“The Indian Act did not recognize us as persons. We were being excluded deliberately. The education policies led to the residential schools. This destroyed our people – their identity, and their dignity. Some people died in the schools.”

He cited an example of an Ojibway women, who told him of a humiliating incident some 60 years ago as a student. She was saying the Lord’s Prayer in her own language. A priest slapped her, and ordered her not to use “the devil’s language.”

His own experience, he said, was not quite as harsh, but marked him nonetheless.  

“I experienced abuse – physically and psychologically. One was removed from one’s loving community. This was a form of abuse, being torn away from our loved ones.

“I was able to survive because I knew who I was. My identity was strong. I spoke my own language; I was steeped in my culture. What I didn’t appreciate was the fact that our people were denied their language. They were unable to pray in the language God gave us, or to express love and joy.”

A heritage of Christian faith in his family – including his father’s work as a pastor at Christian Assemblies in Steinbach, Manitoba – helped him deal with the effects of the tragedy.

“I was able to be strong because of my dad’s faith. I knew the scriptures; that’s how I was raised. I was able to survive because of my faith.”

It also helped him with the process of forgiveness. “Many I have spoken to say they will forgive. But many won’t. Forgiving is something in me which comes from the heart.”

Asked what non-Native Christians could do to help facilitate reconciliation, Harper said: “There needs to be an understanding of the experiences of First Nations people. There are many things people in the church did to our people.

“There are many reasons why our people don’t feel part of Canadian society. We have to start talking, finding common ground.”

Jesus, he noted, “is the one who reached out to everybody – even Zaccheus the tax collector. There needs to be a reaching out from the non-Aboriginal community – especially the Christian community.”

Summer/Fall 2008