Prince Charles says Canada must face the ‘darkest’ aspects of its past

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall began their Canada tour confronted by the legacy of British colonialism and faced calls from the Crown to apologize for the trauma left by the country’s residential school system.

In a speech at the Confederation Building in St. John’s, the seat of government for Newfoundland and Labrador, where they were greeted with a military salute and cheering school children waving miniature Canadian and Newfoundland flags, Prince Charles acknowledged that came to Canada at a historic moment. taking into account their indigenous peoples.

“We must find new ways to come to terms with the darkest and most difficult aspects of the past, acknowledging, reconciling and striving to make it better,” he told a crowd of dignitaries, in a speech in both French and English. “It is a process that begins with listening. My wife and I look forward to hearing from you and learning.”

The Prince and his wife, Camilla, spent the afternoon in St. John’s, where they were greeted at public ceremonies celebrating the province’s indigenous people, including prayers in the Inuit language, performances by an Inuk singer and Inuit drummers, and mi ‘kmak. music. There were also demonstrations of Newfoundland’s famous popular culture: a military brass band played Ordinary day by the Great Big Sea Band, and there was a display of local weavers and craftsmen.

The royal couple, who arrived in St. John’s on a Canadian Forces plane from Oxfordshire, England, had a quiet moment of reflection outside the lieutenant governor’s official residence, taking part in a smudger ceremony in a garden built in memory of the thousands of indigenous children who suffered in residential schools in Canada.

Some indigenous leaders, including Johannes Lampe, president of Nunatsiavut, the Inuit government in northern Labrador, have turned down invitations to attend the royal visit, opting instead to stay home. Others called on the Prince to acknowledge the British Crown’s role in reconciliation and address the history of Canada’s colonial past.

“I would have liked to hear the Prince apologize for all the atrocities we’ve been through in our past,” said Chief Mi’sele Joe of the Miawpukek First Nation of Newfoundland, who led the spotting ceremony in a garden of hearts.

“If you have a heart, I hope you will listen to us and understand what we have been through in this province, under a colonial government. As a Mi’kmaq people, the British massacred us.”

Elisabeth Penashue, a 78-year-old from the Sheshatshiu Innu First Nation in Labrador, presented the Prince with a memoir that she said she hopes will help him understand the history of her people and their struggle to maintain their way of life.

“I want Prince Charles to know about the Innu people and how we lived before the government disrupted our lives,” he said, speaking in the Innu language and translated by his daughter, Kanani Davis.

“It is very important that they listen to our stories, that they understand them and that they recognize their role in what happened.”

It is the first time the Prince has visited Canada since the recent spate of unmarked grave discoveries at residential school sites across the country, and the royal tour comes as Commonwealth countries around the world increasingly question his link with the monarchy.

Less than two months ago, Prince William and Kate Middleton faced protests on their tour of the Caribbean, where they heard calls for apologies and reparations for the slave trade, and were forced to cancel their visit to Belize. Last month, Antigua and Barbuda’s prime minister told Prince Edward and his wife, Sophie, that the country wanted to cut ties with the monarchy and had to postpone a visit to Grenada due to local opposition.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau declined to say whether the Crown should apologize to Canada’s indigenous people for the legacy of residential schools. But he said he hopes the royal couple will hear the perspectives of First Nations communities during their visit here.

“It’s an opportunity for them to come together with all kinds of Canadians from different backgrounds, including Indigenous Canadians, to talk about the things that we continue to work on, including reconciliation,” Trudeau said, during a scrum with reporters outside. a child care center at Memorial University in St. John’s.

While some Commonwealth countries, such as Barbados, have said they want to sever ties with the British crown, Trudeau said Canada’s relationship with the monarchy is not high on the list of things Canadians want to change.

“When I hear from Canadians and the things they want us to work on, it’s not about constitutional change,” he said, later adding that he knows the Royal Family is committed to doing the work necessary to fix Canada’s relationship with its indigenous peoples.

Later that day, Prince Charles and Camilla also met with local artisans and representatives of Newfoundland’s craft beer and culinary scene. At Government House, he met with the Campaign for Wool Canada, a project he launched in 2014 that is dedicated to developing a national wool industry, and spoke with knitters from a nonprofit group that produces sweaters, socks, hats and hand knitted gloves. and other goods.

Before leaving for Ottawa, Canada’s Governor-General, Mary Simon, urged the royal couple to speak to more indigenous people as they travel across Canada.

“I encourage you to learn the truth about our history, the good and the bad,” he said. “In this way, we will promote healing, understanding and respect. And in this way, we will also promote reconciliation.”

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