Canada has done little to make up for its genocide

Those who know Canada as a prosperous, democratic country and a land of opportunities may find it difficult to reconcile this with the fact that an officially appointed commission has referred to its record of serious human rights violations against its own indigenous people as cultural genocide. Four years later, the word genocide was repeated by another officially appointed commission (2019), this time more specifically in the context of indigenous women. The allegation of cultural genocide has been accepted by the government which has apologized to its indigenous people.

- BHARAT DOGRA

An apology, however, may be easier than actual action. Repeated admission of guilt has not led to the kind of basic changes needed in Canadian society and authorities.

In year 1996 the Royal Commission of Aboriginal People had alerted the people to the urgency of remedying the shocking injustices to the indigenous people of the country. In 2008, the Prime Minister of Canada apologized to the indigenous people of Canada. However the follow-up action was not encouraging at all, as was revealed by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRCC) which submitted its final report in 2015.