[Editorial] Insensitive, insulting and, in some ways, intimidating

If truth be told, we were a little perturbed when we heard that a group had made its way to Ottawa on June 11 for the second anniversary of Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s public apology for the Indian residential school system in order to “release forgiveness” upon the government.

The fact that the point man of this endeavor was Conservative MP Rod Bruinooge added fuel to the fire that was erupting in our bellies. It seemed the federal government not only wanted to be in control of the timing of the apology, that for some First People came far too late and after much arm-twisting, it also wanted to be in charge of the end date for forgiveness. Let’s face it, the optics of having one of Harper’s back benchers leading the charge to absolve the boss man for a century of Canada’s abuse of Indigenous children seemed at best sad, and, at worse, sickly obscene.

We looked at the press release that announced that the National Forgiven Summit would take place June 11 to June 13. Rod Bruinooge, MP for Winnipeg South, was the first name mentioned.  The presser looked like the usual one that would be sent out for official government propaganda, minus the Canadian flag symbol that tops similar government statements. Same format, same font. Even the Director of Communications in the Office of Rod Bruinooge, MP was available if we needed some more information.  What the...? Who is this guy, and what group is he speaking for that would be so bold as to pre-empt the first national event of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission with such a stunt?

We asked around amongst our sources and soon learned that the National Forgiven Summit was, in fact, launched by a group of evangelicals who had decided they were ready to turn the other cheek in regards to residential schools. Their leader, Chief Kenny Blacksmith, is an ordained minister, though it wasn’t immediately apparent of which church. He is also the founder of Gathering Nations International, whose Web site preaches a belief that “once the relationships between the original peoples of the land establish a right relationship with our Lord God Almighty, and our people are healed and released from a negative past then our relationship with all others will be made restored, healed and our people will take their rightful place and that a spiritual governmental authority will be established in our nation.”
There wasn’t any reference to this specific agenda in the press release.

Our sources also tell us that the group, through forgiveness, hoped to encourage a more charitable approach from government towards First Nations. An apology, let’s face it, is only worth something if the perpetrator is prepared to not only make amends but to mend his ways. So far, Harper and his Conservative government is making a mockery of the apology, say many, and need to do better. The national chief of the Assembly of First Nations is working in his own way to encourage Harper to breathe life into the words he spoke on June 11, 2008. Shawn Atleo at that time said the heavy page of the chapter on residential schools was being lifted to begin a new government /First Nations relationship. But let’s be clear, the page hasn’t yet been turned.

Let’s reflect a little on the task of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission which is currently hosting the first of seven national events in Winnipeg as we write this editorial, beginning a monumental undertaking. Its responsibility is to uncover and document the truth of those schools so that Canadians will understand what Harper was apologizing for in the first place? If Canadians themselves haven’t yet reached a solid understanding of the events that led to the apology, how could there be forgiveness?

The bottom line here folks is that the prime minister represented Canadian society when he offered those words of apology in Canada’s House of Commons. It was not Stephen Harper the individual seeking to be forgiven, but Canadians and their government.

Bruinooge would tell Windspeaker that the “Forgiven” event, where Indian and Northern Affairs Minister Chuck Strahl would be presented with a Charter of Forgiveness signed by 24 Elders from across the country, and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission event, to be held in Winnipeg, would actually complement each other. We have to call bull-ony on this one, unless a slap in the face to the residential school students who were preparing to go public with their horrific stories of abuse in those residential schools was considered a compliment in some circles.

Some may, in fact, consider the Forgiven Summit, with its rapturous religious overtones, an attempt at intimidation to silence or buffer survivors’ disclosures at the Truth event. Some former students will cringe at the heavy church presence that is planned in Winnipeg, so uncomfortable with it that they will give it a pass. The Forgiven Summit was either insensitive to this reality, undeterred by it or, more cynically, prepared to actively engage it to soften the message that Canadians will hear about the churches that ran the residential schools.

Regardless of the motivation, the Forgiven Summit was an inappropriate event and insulting, and Prime Minister Stephen Harper, if he has any real respect for the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, will take Bruinooge to task for his involvement in it.

Windspeaker