Premier won't keep promise to apologize to N.L. residential school survivors

The premier of Newfoundland and Labradorwill not be fulfilling a promise he made in 2017to apologize to the province's residential school survivors.

Dwight Ball announced in a government press release Thursday that the apology will not be happening.

"I regret that I am not able to deliver a sincere and personal apology from me, as Premier, on behalf of Newfoundland and Labrador," said Ball in the release.

"An apology cannot undo the harm and the suffering that residential school students and their families endured, but it is an important step in the healing process for Inuit who were separated at a young age from their families, communities, culture and traditions."

Itwould have been so much better if the premier had just kept his goddamned mouth shut and not offered to apologize in the first place.- Steven Cooper

Ball is due to step down as premier after the provincial Liberal Party chooses a new leader Aug. 3. Thursday's press release says COVID-19 derailed plans to offer an apology this past winter.

"Ballwas scheduled to travel to Nunatsiavut in March, but plans were put on hold because of the coronavirus pandemic and the imposition of travel restrictions by public health officials," it says.

"Discussions continued with officials and representatives of the survivors and their families, with plans to hold events this month [July]. Despite all options being explored, it wasn't possible under the present public health measures."

Officials in Ball's office say calling off plans for the apologywas a joint decision with Indigenous leaders who want to gather large numbers of peopleto mark the occasion, without COVID-19 restrictions.

Residential school survivor outraged

Labrador residential school survivor Toby Obedis furious.

"He just sat back and more or less just put it on the back burner. How ignorant and how rude and how dare him. He knew about this. I mean, this has just got me boiling," he said.

Obed, who helped start the class action a decade ago, said he wasn't informed that there were plans for an apology in March.

He promised to hold the province to its commitment.

"I don't want to hear bullshit. I don't want to hear excuses. They know that this happened," he said.

"This is one problem that I will not give up until we get this apology. I don't care what I have to do. This will happen."

Class-action lawyerblasts Ball

A lawyer who helped N.L. residential school survivors reach a $50-million class-action settlement from the federal government is giving Ball a blistering rebuke for not keeping hispromise to apologize to the former students.

"This whole thing has really just revictimized so many of the survivors," said StevenCooper on Thursday.

"It would have been so much better if the premier had just kept his God damned mouth shut and not offered to apologize in the first place because what he has done is created expectations that he has been pursuing for his own political agenda and seeming to be absolutely crass and careless about the feelings of the survivors. It is absolutely atrocious and the man should be ashamed. The province should be embarrassed."

The settlement for a class of about 1,000 residential school survivors was announced in May 2016.

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, Premier Dwight Ball said the province would apologizetoo.

Why would the survivors believe a man who has lied to them about being in the process of delivering something and then just not following through?- Steven Cooper

Cooper,a partnerwith the Alberta-based Cooper-Regellaw firm, hopes the new Liberal leader will offer a proper apology to survivors.

"Honestly, it's probably best now that Ball not give the apologybecause nobody is going to believe him. Why would the survivors believe a man who has lied to them about being in the process of delivering something and then just not following through?"

As recently as last month, the possibility of the apology was still being left open by the premier. On June 19, Ball said he would like to offer the apology as premier but said the date, location and substance of the apology werestill being worked out with Indigenous leaders.

At the time, survivor Toby Obed urged the premier to keep his promise.

'Get off your ass, buddy, and let's get this done,' said Obedlast month.

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