In July of 2008, former Prime Minister Stephen Harper apologized to former students of residential schools on behalf of the Canadian government.

In July of 2022, on his way back from a visit to Canada, Pope Francis used the word genocide to describe what took place in the residential school system in Canada.

Education takes time, this we know.

But how long should it take to recognize people in your community are hurting and to acknowledge this pain?

The Christie Indian Residential School on Meares Island, a small island near Tofino, was the last residential school in B.C. to cease operations, closing in 1983.

In 1996, Canada鈥檚 last residential school 鈥� Gordon鈥檚 Indian Residential School in Punnichy, Saskatchewan 鈥� finally shuttered. That was a full decade after the United Church of Canada accepted responsibility for its role in residential schools, and condemned the system as genocidal.

鈥淲e tried to make you be like us,鈥� the church鈥檚 statement read. 鈥淎nd in so doing, we helped to destroy the vision that made you what you were.鈥�

The trauma continues to ripple through and impact families, and yes, even those who did not attend those schools themselves.

When community leaders in positions of authority who we expect to work in partnership with First Nations governments are complicit in the spreading of misinformation, they do real harm, and they take us all backwards. Whether a person was to blame or not, what those who have been hurt need to hear is 鈥淚鈥檓 sorry.鈥�

In 2024, it is tragic that people and families have to continue to be traumatized in order to counter misinformation. For those who were not impacted by residential schools directly, your role is to listen, to bear witness and to help carry this heavy burden so many have had to bear alone for far too long.

Perhaps then we can all move forward, together.

-Black Press