The apology here is ‘interesting’, to say the least, and it misses the more important commitment. As the article mentions, this IS a similar move to what the Australians recently did. HOWEVER, what seems to be conspicuously missing, is a commitment to sign on to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

This convention/treaty has been in the works for 25 long years, and was finally accomplished just last September. Very conspicuously missing from the signatories to this historical convention were the United States, Canada, Australia, and I think the 4th was New Zealand. (I could be wrong…so I’ll double check it) For sure however, the US, Canada, and Australia would NOT sign on to this, because it involved (among other things) returning some land to the indigenous peoples of all these nations.
Now SINCE then, Australia has elected a new government administration, and the new administration HAS agreed to sign on to he treaty. (and that apology was the first of these efforts). I don’t seen anything in this article to indicate that they too, have changed their minds about accepting this treaty. They DO mention the establishment of a truth and reconciliation commission, which is certainly a beginning. But any sincere efforts would be better served by a commitment to the treaty.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Declaration_on_the_Rights_of_Indigenous_Peoples

Columbus DISCOVERED America..As we say-WE WERE NOT LOST…We KNEW WHO WE WERE[unlike most “slave descendants”] and We were STEWARDS of TURTLE ISLAND.The “WHITES” came here to escape religious
persecution and/or as indentured servants/criminals.They saw these wide open spaces and decided THEY WANTED IT..At Whatever cost..No Matter WHO HAD PRIOR CLAIM…I KNOW WHAT HAPPENED-FROM MY GRANDFATHERS STORIES ABOUT HIS FATHER AND GRANDFATHER.AND I KNOW ABOUT MY HERITAGE….The “white government” OWES MOST NATIVE PEOPLES FOR OIL RIGHTS,GRAZING RIGHTS and LAND given by said government as “GIFTS” to other “whites”...You want to talk about discrimination AND prejudice??I CAN TELL YOU THE TRUTH ABOUT WHAT WAS DONE TO THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLE OF TURTLE ISLAND…We ARE NOT OWED AN APOLOGY…WE ARE OWED OUR FREEDOM!!!

Being of native descent from Canada, born and living in Michigan, I have a comment from my relations from Canada heard on the powwow trail.” It’s been 500 years, we want our land back.”

We had the Carlisle Schools in America run by the “churches” who also mistreated the original peoples children of America. These children were stolen from their families in the claim that"we have to assimilate the red man if they are to survive, then those same children were used as prostitutes, worked as slaves, abused, mistreated and numerous other abused were inflicted upon them.

Nowadays I hear todays “Christian and Evangelical Christians” claim that God gave them America. No, they stole it. They lied, stole, murdered, swindled and did everything vile and despicable the human mind can come up with to take this land away from the original peoples. And don’t have any doubt that the church devised the most atrocious forms of torture and punishment history ever recorded by man, all in the name of their God.

Now, it’s your turn America. Are you honorable as you try to claim? Then step up and tell the world the truth of what the European Christians did to attain this land second they arrived here. Can you be that truthful? Will you? You need to do the right thing too.

Harper is using this as a photo-op, as usual. The previous government had spent years and thousands of hours to hammer out the Kelowna Accords - land claims deals and other agreements - only to have it cancelled by Stephen Harper and his buddies when they won a minority government (approx. 38% of the vote). They wanted to do it all themselves and take ALL the credit. Nothing much has changed. It’s all window-dressing.

Harper is trying to shift the emphasis from his own scandal-plagued government - cabinet ministers hanging around with a woman who had multiple biker and organized crime related partners, the allegations of bribery to a dying member of parliament to bring down a government, election-funding irregularities, and the continual extension of the Afghanistan War even though 60% of Canadians (at last count) were against it.

He can’t actually apologise for something he did not do. He can express regret, which I doubt he feels.

If I were an aboriginal person listening to his claptrap, I would be furious.

Apoligies require three things: they must occur as soon as possible after the event, they must state specifically what the apology is for and they must offer reciprocity.

I think Stephen Harper is hoping for a “Rudd Bump”, a surge in popularity similar to what Kevin Rudd in Australia received.

It just sounds so fake coming from Harper.