Prince Charles offers remarks about reconciliation as Canadian tour begins
Prince Charles offers remarks about reconciliation as Canadian tour begins
Prince Charles offers remarks about reconciliation as Canadian tour begins
St. JOHN'S -
Prince Charles and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, arrived Tuesday in St. John's, N.L., to begin a three-day Canadian tour that will largely focus on reconciliation with Indigenous people.
Under partly cloudy skies, the couple landed at St. John's International Airport aboard a Canadian government jet. They then headed by motorcade to a welcome ceremony at the provincial legislature with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Gov. Gen. Mary Simon.
The couple were met by an honour guard and various dignitaries before shaking hands and exchanging pleasantries with people in the crowd. On the steps leading to the legislature, about 100 schoolchildren waved small Canadian and provincial flags.
Grade 6 student Anna Jeans said she was thrilled at the possibility she might get a high-five from Charles or Camilla. "I'm very excited," she said, bouncing on her toes. "It's a big opportunity for me."
Nearby, Tara Kelly -- wearing a homemade fascinator with a tall plume of green feathers -- said she's long been a fan of the Royal Family. "It's a fantasy," she said.
Inside the Confederation Building's purple-lit foyer, the prince and the duchess looked on as Innu elder Elizabeth Penashue offered a blessing and Inuk soprano Deantha Edmunds sang.
The event began with a land acknowledgment honouring the province's five Indigenous groups as well as the Beothuk people, who were among the first inhabitants of Newfoundland, their history stretching back 9,000 years.
Simon welcomed Charles and Camilla to Canada in Inuktitut. She asked Charles and Camilla to listen to the Indigenous groups they will meet in Canada and to learn their stories.
"I encourage you to learn the truth of our history -- the good and the bad," she said. "In this way, we will promote healing, understanding and respect. And in this way, we will also promote reconciliation."
The prince started his speech by noting that the land that became Canada has been cared for by Indigenous people -- First Nations, Metis and Inuit -- for thousands of years.
"We must find new ways to come to terms with the darker and more difficult aspects of the past, acknowledging, reconciling and striving to do better," he said. "It is a process that starts with listening."
The prince said he had spoken with the Governor General about the "vital process" of reconciliation.
"(It's) not a one-off act, of course, but an ongoing commitment to healing, respect and understanding," he said. "I know that our visit this week comes at an important moment with Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples across Canada, committing to reflect honestly and openly on the past."
Charles and Camilla then moved on to Government House, the official residence of Lt.-Gov. Judy Foote, the Queen's representative in the province.
Outside the residence, they will take part in a reconciliation prayer with Indigenous leaders at the Heart Garden, which was built to honour Indigenous children who attended the province's residential schools.
Earlier in the day, Trudeau said reconciliation will form part of the discussions Charles and Camilla engage in during their visit. But the prime minister avoided answering when asked if he thinks the Queen should apologize for the legacy of residential schools.
"Reconciliation has been a fundamental priority for this government ever since we got elected, and there are many, many things that we all have to work on together," he said. "But we know it's not just about government and Indigenous people. It's about everyone doing their part, and that's certainly a reflection that everyone's going to be having."
Metis National Council President Cassidy Caron has said she intends to make a request for an apology to the prince and duchess during a reception Wednesday at Rideau Hall in Ottawa.
Caron has said residential school survivors have told her an apology from the Queen is important as she is Canada's head of state and the leader of the Anglican Church. "The Royals have a moral responsibility to participate and contribute and advance reconciliation," Caron said in Ottawa on Monday.
Earlier this year, Pope Francis apologized for the Catholic Church's role in residential schools when Indigenous leaders and residential school survivors visited the Vatican. He will travel to Canada to deliver the apology this summer.
Leaders from four of Newfoundland and Labrador's Indigenous groups were expected to attend the prayer ceremony at the lieutenant-governor's residence in St. John's. Elders and residential school survivors were also invited to take part in a smudging ceremony, musical performances, a land acknowledgment and a moment of silence.
Charles and Camilla will then tour Quidi Vidi, a former fishing community in the east end of St. John's.
The couple are expected to arrive in Ottawa tonight. Their tour will also take them to the Northwest Territories.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 17, 2022.
-- With files from Michael MacDonald in Halifax and Kelly Geraldine Malone in Winnipeg
A Toronto woman says a dog she rescued from the Dominican Republic has been traumatized after being left in a corner of Toronto Pearson International Airport with baggage for about 21 hours.
A large chunk of an Alpine glacier broke loose Sunday and roared down a mountain in Italy, sending ice, snow and rock slamming into hikers on a popular trail on the peak and killing at least six and injuring nine, authorities said, warning that the toll might climb.
A Black man shot and killed by Akron, Ohio police officers in a hail of bullets following a vehicle and foot pursuit was unarmed at the time of the shooting.
A new study has offered what it says is the first physical evidence showing dinosaurs from the Triassic period regularly endured freezing conditions, allowing them to survive and eventually supersede other species on the planet.
Families across the country tell W5 they were falsely accused of child abuse after bringing their sick or injured child to the hospital. Some parents are calling for mandatory medical second opinions when it comes to cases flagged in hospitals.
Former Deputy Leader of the Conservatives Lisa Raitt shares the pain behind her husband's devastating diagnosis of early onset Alzheimer's and the story of their enduring love, in a candid and revealing interview with CTV W5.
W5 investigates disturbing allegations against a pediatric dentist in Nova Scotia whose treatment of children over five decades is now an alleged crime.
CTV W5's latest investigation: For a year, Dr. Brooks Fallis ran the Critical Care unit at a Brampton Hospital. He openly criticized Premier Ford’s COVID-19 response and was warned by his bosses there could be consequences.
For the past two years, a number of doctors across Canada have advocated for their patients and questioned the role of politics in the handling of COVID-19. To explore the issues, W5 convened a group of seven physicians from across the country.
An Ontario man shares his horrifying story of murder as W5 investigates the widespread under-reporting of serious side-effects from prescription drugs.
A Toronto woman says a dog she rescued from the Dominican Republic has been traumatized after being left in a corner of Toronto Pearson International Airport with baggage for about 21 hours.
Two people died and four others including a nine-month-old baby were injured in a pair of crashes that occurred two hours apart in Peel Region overnight.
The family of an Ottawa man killed in a Canada Day crash in the west end says Tom Bergeron died exactly as he lived: selflessly thinking of others before himself.
Ottawa Bylaw officers issued 30 parking tickets and had eight vehicles towed out of the downtown core on Sunday, the final day the motor vehicle control zone remains in effect.
A Puslinch, Ont. woman says her driveway will need to be repaved less than month after she came home to find strangers working on it without her prior consent.
Five people were sent to hospital as a precaution after a vehicle they were travelling inside rolled onto its roof in south London early Sunday afternoon.
The London Fire Department tackled a blaze at a home in south London early Sunday morning, which claimed the lives of three pets and resulted in approximately $250,000 in damages.
Tourism officials and business leaders in Windsor-Essex are frustrated and worried about how the sector will handle another summer of border requirements to enter Canada.
The days of collecting stickers from cups and claiming a hot drink after purchasing six will soon be a thing of the past at McDonald’s Canada locations as of December 2023.
At this time of year, when many Quebecers move into a new home, there may be an increase in infestations of invaders such as bed bugs. Anyone can be affected by these unwanted pests and it is important to report cases.
Advocates for Montreal's homeless residents ramped up critiques of Parks Canada over the weekend, saying a series of local camping events the agency has scheduled throughout the summer set a double standard between those with financial means and those without.
New Brunswick's education minister is lashing out at Air Canada, saying the airline is incompetent because it decided on the weekend to cancel a Monday flight that would have taken him and four officials to a meeting in Regina.
A Ukrainian refugee is excited to begin a new life in Manitoba after escaping the war in Ukraine with her family and reuniting with her sister in Winnipeg Sunday.
Vacation resort owners near Minaki, Ont., are drowning, both literally and financially, after flooding has left them operating below capacity or unable to open at all.
A Calgary man faces multiple charges following an incident Saturday in which a firefighter was injured when a stolen vehicle fled from the scene of a collision.
Taylor Perez says she learned more about her passions while tending beehives, goats and fruit trees at her central Alberta high school than sitting through lessons in a classroom.
A law outlawing any dealings with the Taliban, which charities complain is impeding their ability to help needy Afghans, could be adjusted by the federal government to give more flexibility to aid agencies.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is calling on Canadians to recommit to the country’s values, including respect, hope and kindness, in his official Canada Day message.
Nationwide, U.S. workers at clinics that shuttered abortion services are feeling fear and stress as they try to pick up the pieces and chart a path forward. At the Women's Health Center of West Virginia, the days following the historic court ruling brought on a different kind of grief for staff as their new reality set in.
Living with HIV may have an immediate effect on how your body ages, according to new research which showed that cellular aging was sped up within two to three years of infection.
Medication abortions became the preferred method for ending pregnancy in the U.S. even before the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. These involve taking two prescription medicines days apart -- at home or in a clinic.
Researchers in British Columbia say the province's endangered southern resident orcas have not been getting enough food for years, with some of the worst bouts of hunger occurring since 2018.
Scientists are hopeful that the key to reviving red wolves, which are on the brink of extinction, may lie in the genes of coyotes that have significant red wolf ancestry.
A Russian scientist who was arrested in Siberia last week on suspicion of state treason and flown to Moscow despite suffering from advanced pancreatic cancer has died, lawyers and a family member said on Sunday.
Representatives for Ricky Martin have denied allegations that led to a restraining order against the Puerto Rican superstar, who has not been charged with any crime.
"Minions: The Rise of Gru " brought in an estimated US$108.5 million in ticket sales from 4,391 screens in North America, Universal Pictures said Sunday. By the end of the Monday's July Fourth holiday, it will likely have earned over $127.9 million.
Peter Brook, a British theatre and film director known for an influential and distinguished career which saw him garner worldwide acclaim, has died. He was 97.
Canadian retailers are struggling with higher shipping costs as couriers tack hefty fuel surcharges onto shipping rates to recoup record gas prices. The additional charge is sending the cost of shipping goods within Canada higher, topping 40 per cent for some carriers.
Airlines worked Saturday to deliver luggage to passengers around the world after a technical breakdown left at least 1,500 bags stuck at Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport, the latest of several tangles hitting travellers this summer.
A vampire-slaying kit once owned by a British aristocrat sparked an international bidding war before selling for six times its estimated price, according to Hansons Auctioneers.
An Ontario high school teacher plans to continue with an alternative method of grading her students after an experiment last semester in which students proposed a grade and had to justify it with examples of their work.
Zhou Guanyu was involved in a frightening first-lap crash Sunday that brought the British Grand Prix to an immediate halt as safety crews attended to the only Chinese driver in Formula One.
Nick Kyrgios cursed at the Wimbledon chair umpire and asked, 'Are you dumb?' He demanded to see a Grand Slam supervisor after questioning why his opponent, Stefanos Tsitsipas, didn't forfeit their ever-contentious, never-boring match for angrily hitting a ball into the stands after dropping the second set.
Dutch rider Fabio Jakobsen overtook Wout van Aert right on the line to win the second stage of the Tour de France while Van Aert took the yellow jersey on Saturday.
A Vancouver Island real estate agent has lost his bid to recover a deposit he made on a new Ford Mustang that he intended to offer as a prize in a year-long contest in 2020.
Tesla's sales from April through June fell to their lowest quarterly level since last fall as supply chain issues and pandemic restrictions in China hobbled production of its electric vehicles.
It took 151 attempts for Carlos Sainz to earn his first Formula One pole. Now he'll chase that elusive first win. But starting alongside Sainz on the front row Sunday at the British Grand Prix will be defending F1 champion Max Verstappen, a year removed from the crash with Lewis Hamilton that turned their title fight into a bitter rivalry.
