The provincial government is again trying to prepare an apology for the Chinese head tax, but the taint from the last effort lingers. In trying to exploit the issue for political gain, powerful players among the sa国际传媒 Liberals added to the shame of that disgraceful era of sa国际传媒 and Canadian history.
It would be hard to convince anyone that this government鈥檚 intent is pure as it takes another run at the issue.
In any case, an apology from someone not responsible for the misdeeds is hollow. Any meaningful apology would have to come from those who saw the error of their ways and repented of their bigotry and cruelty.
Those responsible weren鈥檛 apologetic. Our apologies can鈥檛 change that.
There鈥檚 no doubt in anyone鈥檚 mind that the legislation specifically designed to limit or exclude Chinese immigration was shameful, a disgrace to a country calling itself a democracy. It was an ugly manifestation of a racial superiority complex and selfish ethnocentricism, a sign of the times when those of British descent snobbily placed themselves above the so-called inferior races.
That was then; this is now. The government is the people, and the people of sa国际传媒 are no longer a nearly homogenous population of Britons. They include people from a wide range of ethnic origins, many of whose ancestors suffered maltreatment at the hands of colonialism. They should not apologize for something they didn鈥檛 do.
That doesn鈥檛 mean the wrongs shouldn鈥檛 be acknowledged. It鈥檚 important that everyone shares in the recognition of the wrongs that were done. And where redress is appropriate, that should be worked out.
A year ago, Ida Chong, then sa国际传媒鈥檚 aboriginal affairs minister, participated in a feast of reconciliation with the Hesquiaht First Nation in Port Alberni. The sa国际传媒 government had offered its regrets for the wrongful hanging of two Hesquiaht men in 1869, and the Hesquiaht people in turn offered forgiveness. The provincial government was not responsible for the actions of the colonial administration, and therefore could not apologize, but it was part of a process helpful in the healing of historical wounds.
The wounds of the head tax era still bleed; that should not be ignored. It鈥檚 an issue that should be discussed 鈥� but perhaps at arm鈥檚 length from the political process. Anything the current government does in that regard will carry with it echoes of the ethnic-outreach scandal.
History is rife with cruelty, greed, prejudice and racism. Good old days? Only if you were of a certain social class and ethnicity. We should not 鈥� cannot 鈥� ignore the wrongs of the past, for they help guide us along a better path to the future.
But a profusion of apologies demeans both genuine apology 鈥� an expression of regret and contriteness for a wrong one has committed 鈥� and the suffering of those who were wronged. 鈥淭ime heals all wounds鈥� is an expression that might apply to scraped knees and romances gone sideways, but the effects of some atrocities are felt for generations. Those wounds should be attended to.
Accepting responsibility for something we didn鈥檛 do in the past might have a noble ring to it, but it鈥檚 far more useful to take responsibility for what we do in the future.
