Apologizing only gets you so far

Yesterday, the Prime Minister gave an apology to the Aboriginal people for the abuse they endured in residential schools. I didn't know he was giving an apology until I logged onto CBC.ca and read the headline. The first thing I wanted to do was call my dad and ask him what he thought about this apology. I wondered if he accepted it--if it was enough.

I read all the comments and related articles. I read the responses the First Nations community had. Some were happy, some were angry, but for all it brought out a lot of emotions. Yesterday was an overwhelming day. The aboriginal community has been trying to get this apology for over a decade but none of the PMs wanted to step up and say, "hey, we fucked up. We're sorry." I was surprised that Stephen Harper was the one who actually did it. Although, many thought his words were empty and the apology lacked any passion. I have still yet to see the video version of his apology. I was too late to watch the live feed, so I only got to read the transcript.

"The government of Canada sincerely apologizes and asks the forgiveness of the aboriginal peoples of this country for failing them so profoundly."

That part brought me to tears. Yes, Canada, you did fail us. You have continued to fail the aboriginal peoples over and over again. I hope this apology helps the Canadian population to see First Nations peoples as human beings. I hope it helps the Candian people to understand the sufferings these people have endured for generations and together we can all heal and move forward. 

This apology isn't going to magically heal the survivors and their families. It is going to take time and effort. I hope the government of Canada isn't going to just walk away now. An apology calls for action to right what you have done wrong. Otherwise, the apology means nothing.