To the Expositor:
Residential schools are really nothing new for aboriginals, the truth is just coming out now and I wonder what else will come out of this. The federal government was so abusive towards the aboriginals and to this day the government is still abusive, like trying to strip away aboriginal rights, and because of this there are so many social problems in our communities such as alcohol and drug abuse.
This was passed down to this generation and it is because our parents or relatives started abusing alcohol to try and bury their grievances from their experiences in residential schools.
The government also forced parents to give up their kids to residential schools and if they did not comply with them they would threaten jail time and aboriginals will have to walk with this for the rest of their lives because this awful damage has already been done. Once the human spirit has been damaged it’s hard to forget.
The Harper government did give an apology to aboriginals and those were just words, it never came from the heart and for me I never believe them and I see all kinds of scandals coming true. That’s how I see the government.
Ron Osawabine
Wikwemikong
