I agree that there's no need for hyperbole; the existing confirmed cases, combined with the overall thrust of the entire program as an instrument of cultural genocide, already paint in sharp relief the way Canada failed to serve its responsibilities in regards to its treaties with the First Nations of this land, and failed to meet any level of ethical or moral standards in its reprehensible treatment of the wards of the state.
My thoughts turn to the subject of reconciliation. These findings would not be so painful if we were much farther down the path of attempting to make real change. Some of the issues brought up in the TRC findings persist and continue to exist to this day.
Can our country and our culture make the changes necessary to be able to truthfully reconcile our differences with the First Nations, actually meet our obligations in respect to our treaties and develop true co-operation in a meaningful way? I feel like we're still what might be a generation or more away from actually achieving this.
I look at a country like New Zealand which has spent 30 years working hard to reconcile its relationship with the Maori and hope that this awareness of our own history will open us up to meaningful changes in a similar way.