PART 1
December 6, 2008 Ottawa Sun
Quotes from the Report of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples (1996):
“Our central conclusion can be summarized simply: The main policy direction, pursued for more than 150 years, first by colonial then by Canadian governments, has been wrong.
“Successive governments have tried — sometimes intentionally, sometimes in ignorance — to absorb aboriginal people into Canadian society, thus eliminating them as distinct peoples. Policies pursued over the decades have undermined — and almost erased — aboriginal cultures and identities.
“This is assimilation. It is a denial of the principles of peace, harmony and justice for which this country stands — and it has failed.
“Assimilation policies have done great damage, leaving a legacy of brokenness affecting aboriginal individuals, families and communities. The damage has been equally serious to the spirit of Canada — the spirit of generosity and mutual accommodation in which Canadians take pride.
“Yet the damage is not beyond repair. The key is to reverse the assumptions of assimilation that still shape and constrain aboriginal life chances — despite some worthy reforms in the administration of aboriginal affairs.”