Labrador residential school survivor wants outgoing premier to keep promise on apology
'Get off your ass, buddy, and let's get this done,' says Toby Obed, who worries time is running out
A residential school survivor from Labrador fears time is running out for outgoing Premier Dwight Ball to apologize to him and the classmates who lost their languages and cultures in Newfoundland and Labrador residential schools.
Toby Obed says Ball should have apologized to residential school survivors years ago, and he's strongly urging him to do it now before he's no longer premier.
"When we had the apology in Labrador from Prime Minister Trudeau, Mr. Ball was at the event. He had his chance then but yet he didn't do it. He had the prime opportunity there and then and he could have saved all this time and stress. So now get off your ass, buddy, and let's get this done," said Obed.
Ball, who announced his resignation this past winter, has stayed on to deal with COVID-19 but is expected to step down as premier later this summer.
In late November 2017, one day before Prime Minister Justin Trudeau travelled to Labrador to offer Canada's apology to Newfoundland and Labrador residential school survivors, Ball said the province would give an apology, too.
But more than 2½ years later there's been no apology.
Speaking at a news conference in western Newfoundland on Friday, Ball said the date, location and substance of the apology are still being worked out with Indigenous leaders.
"I would like to be the one to deliver this as premier of our province. We've got a few weeks, I'm more than ready to go and deliver this message and this apology on behalf of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians when the Indigenous communities are prepared and ready to do so," said Ball.
Ball's comments haven't convinced Obed there will be an apology soon.
"That's just Dwight Ball making excuses. The longer this takes, the longer this drags on … he won't have to do it," he said.
Ball will no longer be premier after the provincial Liberal party chooses a new leader Aug. 3.
Class action settled in 2016
Between 1949 and 1979, thousands of Indigenous children were taken from their communities to attend five residential schools that were run by the International Grenfell Association or Moravians. Many said they were sexually and physically abused at the schools, and suffered language and cultural losses.
About 1,000 students who attended residential schools accepted a $50-million settlement in 2016 from the federal government. Those same students were not included in a settlement and apology to residential school survivors in 2008 by then prime minister Stephen Harper, because the Canadian government argued at that time that it was not responsible for them.
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