The mask is slipping

For all their attempts to seem non-threatening, the federal Cons haven't been able to avoid revealing their true colours to at least some extent. And today provides a particularly important example, as Indian Affairs Minister Jim Prentice has not only declared that he doesn't think that residential school survivors deserve an apology, but also tried to justify the entire residential school system:

Speaking on behalf of survivors, native chiefs held a press conference yesterday in Moncton, demanding to know why Prime Minister Stephen Harper has apologized for the Chinese head tax and to Maher Arar, but not to residential school survivors.

But Mr. Prentice told reporters on Parliament Hill that the deal, which is nearly complete, will not include an apology...

Mr. Prentice played down the significance of a political accord signed nearly two years ago between the AFN and the then-Liberal government that was the precursor to a November, 2005, agreement in principle, and then an April, 2006, final agreement with the Conservatives worth at least $1.9-billion.

In that original letter, Anne McLellan, then deputy prime minister, wrote "there is a need for an apology that will provide a broader recognition of the Indian Residential Schools legacy and its effect upon First Nation communities" once a final settlement is reached.

Mr. Prentice insisted legal concerns are not behind his comments and said the issue is completely different from the cases of Mr. Arar or the Chinese head tax.

"I've said quite clearly that the residential school chapter of our history is one that was a difficult chapter. Many things happened that we need to close the door on as part of Canadian history, but fundamentally, the underlying objective had been to try and provide an education to aboriginal children and I think the circumstances are completely different from Maher Arar or also from the Chinese head tax."

Now, it would have been bad enough for Prentice to merely rely on any ambiguity in the agreement as reason not to apologize.

But rather than even stopping at that much damage, Prentice decided to take an extra step further to try to claim that the ends behind residential schools justified the means. And to top it all off, rather than recognizing that residential schools should be prominently remembered as a painfully stark example what happens when the state attempts to forcibly impose a majority culture on a minority group, Prentice figures that the settlement payment should "close the door" on any further discussion.

Needless to say, that type of attitude can't be seen as anything short of frightening - either for residential school survivors themselves, or for members of any other Canadian minority whose principles could come in conflict with the Cons' supposed good intentions. And now that the Cons have gone public in supporting the "underlying objectives" of the residential school system, it's hard to see how any apology from Harper or his party could be taken seriously.

Update: More from Kenn.