Trudeau sidesteps about royal apology for residential school system
Posted May 17, 2022 9:14 am.
Last Updated May 17, 2022 9:17 am.
The prime minister is refusing to say if the Queen should apologize to Indigenous peoples for the residential school system, given her role as the head of state of Canada and the head of the Anglican Church.
Justin Trudeau faced the question shortly before Prince Charles and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, arrived in Newfoundland and Labrador for a three-day tour of Canada.
Instead, he noted reconciliation as a theme in the visit from the royals.
“It’s an opportunity for them to hear from and meet with all sorts of Canadians from different backgrounds, including Indigenous Canadians, to talk about the things that we continue to need to work on, including on reconciliation,” Trudeau said.
Related Article: Prince Charles and Camilla to kick off three-day Canadian tour in St. John’s Tuesday
There they will take part in a reconciliation prayer with Indigenous leaders at the Heart Garden in St. John, which was built to honour Indigenous children who attended the province’s residential schools.
The president of the Metis National Council will meet with Prince Charles on this trip and does plan to formally ask the prince for an apology from the monarch.
Just last week, the pope confirmed he would travel to Canada in July to offer a formal apology for the Catholic role in residential schools.
Charles and Camilla will then tour Quidi Vidi, a former fishing community in the east end of St. John’s, before heading to Ottawa and, finally, to the Northwest Territories.
Their most recent visit was in 2017 when they travelled to Iqaluit, Ottawa, Trenton and Wellington in Ontario, and Gatineau, Que.
– With files from The Canadian Press
