June 11 Apology Must Be a Defining Moment in Canadian History

[Broadhurst, Tom]

For Immediate Release -- Monday, June 2, 2008


June 11 Apology Must Be a Defining Moment in Canadian History


Toronto:  In a letter sent to Stephen Harper, The United Church of
Canada has urged the Prime Minister to ensure that the June 11 apology
to residential school survivors and their families is an occasion that
will be experienced as a defining moment in the healing of our nation.

The church's letter also echoes the concerns raised by the National
Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, Phil Fontaine, in an open letter
on April 22. In that letter Chief Fontaine lamented the absence of
direct consultation with Aboriginal leaders and survivors about the
content of the national apology.

The United Church says it agrees that consultation with those who have
been directly affected by the legacy of residential schools is
essential.

"Such consultation is critical in order that survivors experience the
apology as full, genuine, and substantial," writes the Moderator, the
Right Rev. David Giuliano.

The church's letter urges the Prime Minister "to meet with Aboriginal
leaders and survivor representatives as soon as possible so that the
apology might achieve the hopes that so many of us have for it."

The Rev. James Scott is the United Church's General Council Officer for
Residential Schools. He says the church sees the apology as having
immense importance in the national healing process and in fulfilling the
hopes and intentions of the overall Indian Residential Schools
Settlement Agreement.

"In offering our own apologies, the United Church has come to understand
both the real and symbolic importance of apology in the healing journey
of those who were harmed by the schools," explains Scott. "And
apologizing has also been the first step in our church's own journey of
recovery and healing from the attitudes that led to the schools in the
first place."

Scott adds that the apology is also a vital element in meeting the
objectives of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission for broad public
awareness and ownership of the residential school legacy.

"The offering of this apology should be an event of singular
significance in the unfolding of our national story," says Scott. "It is
therefore absolutely critical that the presentation of the apology be
consistent with the import of its message and the need to generate an
extraordinary level of public attention."

The Moderator concludes his letter to the Prime Minister with the
following words of encouragement and support:

"We believe in the power of reconciliation. We believe in the
possibility of healing, of new beginnings, even out of the devastation
of such a tragic policy as the Indian residential school system. The
national apology offers the opportunity to begin the process of healing,
forgiveness, and reconciliation. The legacy of a national apology to
survivors and their families can be the foundation on which our nation
builds a new and hopeful future.

"We look to your leadership in offering a full, honest, and sincere
national apology. Such an apology would be a profoundly important
platform on which to renew a relationship of respect, equality, and
justice between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal peoples across this great
land. We offer you our prayerful support in this task."


For further information, please contact:

Mary-Frances Denis
Communications Officer
The United Church of Canada
416-231-7680 ext. 2016 (office)
1-800-268-3781 ext. 2016 (toll-free)
416-885-7478 (cell)
416-766-0057 (home)
mdenis at united-church.ca


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