The Language of Apology

I have been watching the apologies from both Canada and Australia to the survivors of the residential school systems. The first thing that I was struck by was the fact that I really dislike watching Stephen Harper speak. He seems terribly uninterested in whatever he is doing and that is not how you should seem when you are apologizing for causing untold pain and suffering to hundreds of people. I was also struck by the choice of language that was so incredibly different between the two countries.

As Stephen Harper pontificated with the words "we now know" and "we apologize," while Kevin Rudd's apology was filled with the words "I am sorry." Rudd was engaged and truly apologetic for what he said. He demonstrated that he was not only acting as a fulfillment of his office, but fulfillment of his duty as a human being. Harper paid lip service to fulfill his duty of office in order to deflect public criticisms of Canada not becoming a signatory nation on the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

While it feels judgmental to state that there is correct way to apologize and an incorrect way, I feel that there is. Harper's apology felt as though his mother has just told him to apologize for hitting a sibling, while Rudd's apology was sincere. It was not merely lip service, but filled with emotion. I was raised with the rule "If something's worth doing, it's worth doing well." I believe that these apologies were very much worth doing, and Canada should have made sure to do it well.

While the act of apologizing is important, the language of apologies is just as important. Language shows intent and the purpose of what is being said. The body language of those who offered the apologies also told much. Harper did not seem engaged in what was happening and his tone of voice did not change over the course of the apology. Rudd clearly demonstrated that he was engaged and his voice conveyed the sorrow and pain that he felt for the past actions.

I don't think that offering another apology would be at all useful at this point, as it is unlikely that Harper's opinions have changed greatly over the past years. I eagerly anticipate the day when Canada has a prime minister who is not apathetic when they offer apologies for historical and present wrongs. The apology must also be followed with actions that are not currently present in the Canadian government or society.