It was a historic moment today in Canada as our Prime Minister Stephen Harper made an official apology to former students of the government's native residential school program, and our First Nations people.

Here is a snippet from the CBC coverage:

In the first formal apology ever delivered by a Canadian prime minister, Stephen Harper stood in the House of Commons on Wednesday to say sorry to former students of the government's native residential school program.

"Mr. Speaker, I stand before you today to offer an apology to former students of Indian residential schools," Harper said in Ottawa, surrounded by a small group of aboriginal leaders and former students, some of whom wept as he spoke.

"The treatment of children in Indian residential schools is a sad chapter in our history.

"Today, we recognize that this policy of assimilation was wrong, has caused great harm, and has no place in our country," he said to applause.

"The government now recognizes that the consequences of the Indian residential schools policy were profoundly negative and that this policy has had a lasting and damaging impact on aboriginal culture, heritage and language," Harper said.

Full CBC Article Here

What was done to our Native people is akin to genocide, and no less in my mind. To read about the mass graves of children recently discovered please click on Genocide In Canada.

Let us hope this is a first step towards openness, and healing.