Saturday, May 17, 2008

The Apologetic Government

Harper government to apologize twice more

Rarely have the words "I'm sorry" come so easily to a government.

When Stephen Harper raises in Parliament on 11 June to deliver an apology for the abuses that took place in Canada's Residential Schools, he will deliver the third major apology of his tenure in office.

On 22 June, 2006, Harper apologized for the Chinese Head Tax. On 26 January, 2007, Harper apologized to Maher Arar for the rendition ordeal he experienced as a result of the RCMP's disclosure of inaccurate information.

Harper's apology for the Residential School travesty won't even be his last. It's recently been revealed that Harper will also deliver an apology for the Komagata Maru incident of 1914.

While these apologies -- all of them long, long overdo (with the exception of the Maher Arar apology, which was delivered fairly promptly) -- certainly don't erase historical injustice, they're a worthwhile first step on the road to recovery.

While some people naturally won't like it, these apologies are necessary.

Good for Stephen Harper (good for Canada).

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