Canada isn’t exactly apologizing to the High Arctic exiles—at least not yet.
But Indian Affairs Minister Ron Irwin has given the clearest indication so far that Ottawa is sorry about the forcible relocation of 18 Inuit families to the Far North in the 1950s. And Canada is ready to compensate them.
“He thinks it was a bad decision,” said Cate McCready, Irwin’s communications assistant. “He’s sorry people were so badly displaced. That’s his personal view. He was concerned that people had gone through such a traumatic experience.” Irwin made a carefully worded statement that avoided offering an official apology while at Makivik Corp.’s annual general meeting in Kangiqsujuaq in late March. He called for a “fair resolution to the long-standing grievances.” But McCready emphasized that Canada hasn’t officially said it’s sorry.
“No, we’ve made no formal apology,” she said, adding that a compensation package first has to be approved by cabinet. She would not say when that might be.
