Steven Harper apologized on behalf of the Canadian Government and all Canadian people for Canada’s participates in the use and encouragement of Residential Schools in 1870. Residential schools have left a grim mark on Canada’s history and many people disagree with the use of these schools to assimilate young first native children. Even though the Canadian Government has apologized (2008) to the people and communities that have been effected in any way by these residential schools most people still blame the Canadian Government for the mark that the schools have left on our country; some people say that our government today is to be blamed for Canada’s past involvement in residential schools. The Canadian government is usually accused of allowing the killing and horrible assimilation of so many first nations children and people. The government should be blamed for this event because they are overall responsible for the uprising of the idea and use of residential schools, the government knew  about the schools and could have prevented them but they did nothing to stop the horrible trauma effecting the first nations people and communities.

 

The Government should not be blamed for the use of residential schools because they did not understand the first nations culture and did not realize the harm they were causing to the first nations communities and people. The government was not aware of their culture and the effect the schools were taking on the communities. Now that residential school are not in use in Canada the government now should not be blamed for the past participation in these schools. Just because the past government allowed such schools the decision was not made by the Canadian leaders that we know now in that case the government now should not be blamed

 

In my opinion I believe that the government should be blamed for Canada’s participation in the use of residential schools. The government was the only reason why residential schools were used, the government could have stopped their part in residential schools and they could have understood how the first nations were feeling. The first nations were obviously upset with the government when they were allowing their children to be taken from them and assimilated from their beloved culture.