Manitoba premier sorry for creating 'misunderstanding' about Canadian history
Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister apologized Tuesday for comments he made almost a month earlier that angered Indigenous leaders and cost him a cabinet minister.
"I wish my words in speaking to Manitobans at this difficult time had been said differently so they could have been understood better," Pallister said in a press release.
"My words did not adequately convey all that I meant, which I sincerely regret."
Pallister said he takes responsibility for having caused the misunderstanding July 7, when he denounced people who had toppled two statues on the legislature grounds in a protest over the deaths of Indigenous children at residential schools.
Pallister said people who came to Canada -- before and after it was a country -- did not come to destroy but to build communities, businesses and churches.
Indigenous leaders have said the premier downplayed the harmful effects of colonialism, and Pallister initially stood by his comments. He said he meant to convey that Indigenous and non-Indigenous people often worked together to build Canada.
His Indigenous relations minister, Eileen Clarke, resigned from cabinet. Her replacement, Alan Lagimodiere, stirred up more controversy by defending some of the intentions behind residential schools. He later apologized.
Two Indigenous men, saying the government was rewriting history, resigned from their government appointments to economic development boards.
Some members of the Progressive Conservative caucus have also distanced themselves from Pallister's remarks, and Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman last week called on the premier to say he is sorry.
On Tuesday, Pallister spoke to the media for the first time in almost three weeks and took back his remarks.
"I feel awful about the reaction and the misunderstanding I created with my comments," he said during a news conference about COVID-19 restrictions.
Pallister also said his words were misrepresented as support for colonialism or residential schools.
"I should have been clearer in my comments but my heart was in the right place."
The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs said Pallister did not offer a full retraction.
"If you have to qualify an apology, then it's not an apology," said Grand Chief Arlen Dumas.
"And really, there's no excuse. The premier has been involved in public office for decades. There's an expectation that you speak well and you're mindful of the words you use."
Opposition NDP Leader Wab Kinew said the premier's apology was insincere.
"He's not really clearly saying that he did anything wrong. He's just sorry for the fact it was misunderstood."
Pallister's Tories have dropped sharply in recent opinion polls and he is now facing signs of dissent from some of his caucus members. Conservation and Climate Minister Sarah Guillemard posted on social media last month that she could not support words that hurt people affected by trauma.
Pallister has hinted he may retire from politics before the next election in 2023. When asked by a reporter Tuesday whether he plans to leave office in the coming months, he did not directly answer.
"You'll be among the first to know if that's the decision."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 3, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
2 teens charged in Halifax homicide: police
Two teenagers have been charged with second-degree murder in connection to an alleged homicide near the Halifax Shopping Centre earlier this week.
Legendary hockey broadcaster Bob Cole dies at 90: CBC
Bob Cole, a welcome voice for Canadian hockey fans for a half-century, has died at the age of 90. Cole died Wednesday night in St. John's, N.L., surrounded by his family, his daughter, Megan Cole, told the CBC.
Here's why Harvey Weinstein's New York rape conviction was tossed and what happens next
Here's what you need to know about why movie mogul Harvey Weinstein's rape conviction was thrown out and what happens next.
12-year-old hippo in Japan raised as a male discovered to be a female
When Gen-chan arrived at a zoo in Japan in 2017, no one questioned whether the then-five-year-old hippopotamus was a boy. Seven years later, zoo staff made a surprising discovery: Gen-chan, now 12, was female.
'Deep ignorance': Calls for Manitoba trustee to resign sparked after comments about Indigenous people and reconciliation
A rural Manitoba school trustee is facing calls to resign over comments he made about Indigenous people and residential schools earlier this week.
Humanist group threatening to sue Vancouver over council prayers
The B.C. Humanist Association has threatened legal action against the City of Vancouver for allowing prayers at council, following a similar warning issued earlier this month to a smaller community on Vancouver Island.
LHSC performs a Canadian first in robot-assisted direct lateral spine surgery
Spine surgery may never be the same for people with chronic back pain and other physical ailments.
Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.