Prince Charles was in Ottawa yesterday for various protocol ceremonies and today begins the final day of his visit to Canada as indigenous communities await an apology.
• Also read – [EN IMAGES] Prince Charles and his wife Camilla begin their visit to Canada
After spending Tuesday in Newfoundland and Labrador, the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall ended the busiest day of their tour in the capital yesterday.
Photo: AFP
Duchess Camilla and Prince Charles looked dubious yesterday as a shopkeeper at Ottawa’s ByWard Market offered them a pastry beaver tail on day two of their royal tour of Canada.
During several protocol ceremonies and a visit to merchants, the royal couple shook hundreds of hands before ending their day at Rideau Hall to celebrate 70 years of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign at a reception.
Only Governor General Mary Simon spoke during the evening.
“We are a country learning about itself […]who recognizes the pain inflicted […] We want to be a country on the road to reconciliation [avec les peuples autochtones]”, She said.
- Hear Jean-François Lisée and Thomas Mulcair on Richard Martineau’s show every day via podcast or live at 8am via the QUB app and website qub.approx :
brief encounter
At the same event, First Nations Assembly national leader RoseAnne Archibald spoke briefly with the prince.
“I have emphasized truth and reconciliation with First Nations peoples and the need for Queen Elizabeth II to acknowledge the Crown’s continued failure and apologize for upholding her treaty arrangements with her First Nations,” Ms Archibald said in a statement.
So this morning begins the final day for Prince Charles to deliver the long-awaited apologies from several Aboriginal leaders, particularly for the horrors suffered at Aboriginal boarding schools. He needs to go to the Northwest Territories (NWT), meet with First Nations people.
If they had a “symbolic and political” meaning, such an apology from the royal family would change “absolutely nothing” on a legal level, explains Patrick Taillon, professor of constitutional law at Laval University.
Speaking of the environment
“[Le prince Charles] wants to talk about the environment and Aboriginal people want to talk about religious boarding schools,” commented historian and British monarchy expert James Jackson.
“The three provinces hardest hit by the religious hostels scandal were British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Alberta, which it is avoiding this time. By going to the NWT, he can calmly talk about the environment without talking too much about the scandal,” he continued in an interview with AFP.
– With AFP
Do you have any information about this story that you would like to share with us?
Do you have a scoop that might be of interest to our readers?