On behalf of the provincial government, Premier Andrew Furey today delivered the first in a series of apologies to survivors of the province’s residential school system.

It was part of a ceremony at the Cartwright Community Centre this afternoon, complete with performances by the Sandwich Bay Residential School Drummers, made up of survivors of the Lockwood School in Cartwright, and their family members.

The apology was part of a process begun years ago and begins the commitment made by former Premier Dwight Ball following a formal federal government apology delivered by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in 2017.

“So today, with a heavy heart, I respectfully and humbly offer an apology to the students of NunatuKavut who attended residential schools in Newfoundland and Labrador” Furey told those gathered in Cartwright today. “As Premier, and on behalf of the people of Newfoundland and Labrador, I extend this apology to the students and families and to the people of NunatuKavut; We are sorry.”

The apology can be read in Inuttitut here, in English here , and can be viewed in full below.