The federal policy of assimilation had its origin in the Gradual Civilization Act of 1857, which was reinforced by the Indian Act of 1876 and sanctioned by successive parliaments of Canada. The Roman Catholic, Anglican, Presbyterian and United Churches provided staff and administration to the schools established by the government.
“If you read the language of the policy of assimilation, the language itself is so disturbing, for it speaks of removing children, and I quote, from their 'evil surroundings' … [and] 'the savage child would be remade into a civilized adult,'” Anglican Primate Rev. Fred Hiltz told the gathering in Saskatoon.
Rev. Dr. Hans Kouwenberg quoted from the apology issued by the Presbyterian Church in 1994. “For our church we ask forgiveness. It is our hope that those we have wronged with a hurt too deep for telling will accept what we have to say. With God's guidance, our church will seek opportunities to walk with Aboriginal peoples to find healing and wholeness together as God's people.”
He then detailed some of the steps being taken to live up to that promise to walk together.
“Saskatoon is home to Rev. Stewart Folster, a Presbyterian minister from the Brokenhead Ojibway Nation in Manitoba. Stewart runs the Saskatoon Native Circle Ministry. Here, he has established a safe place where Aboriginal people can come into a welcoming environment to meet with friends. These are individuals who struggle daily to find enough food to eat, to obtain a bed to sleep in, a shelter from the cold, and to find work to support themselves,” Kouwenberg said. “We need to learn how to be a greater blessing to them.”
He also described an elders program founded by the ecumenical chaplaincy office at the University of Saskatchewan, developed by Ursula Wiig, “which allows Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students to meet together with Native elders and learn more about the rich spiritual traditions of indigenous peoples.”
In addition, Saskatchewan is home to the only remaining Presbyterian congregation that is located on a reserve, the Mistawasis Memorial Presbyterian Church. “We want to grow in our relationship with the people of Mistawasis who have a special role in helping us understand how to heal our broken relationships with our Aboriginal brothers and sisters,” said Kouwenberg.
