Prince Charles and his wife Camila have begun a visit to Canada

First change: 05/17/2022 – 22:14

The royal couple made their first stop in Saint-Jean de Terre-New (East), where they were greeted by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Indigenous Governor General Mary Simon.

“I encourage you to listen to the stories of the natives, their successes and their solutions, and to learn the truth about our history, good and bad,” Simon said on the sidelines of the visit.

Almost a year after the first unmarked graves of children were found in former Catholic residential schools for indigenous peoples, the couple came to Canada, sparking a scandal and exposing the colonial history of this vast country.

Upon their arrival, Carlos and Camila approached the villagers and greeted the Canadians gathered near the entrance of the Canadian Federation building.

“I know our visit this week comes at a crucial time for Native and non-Native people across Canada who are openly and honestly reflecting on the past to build new relationships for the future,” Prince Charles said.

The reception will include prayers in Inuktitut, the traditional language spoken by the Inuk people, and a concert by Inuk Soprano and a traditional Mikmak song.

Dormitory school corruption

The pair are scheduled to travel to the capital, Ottawa, on Thursday to the northern tip of the Arctic in northern Canada, where it is warming three times faster than the rest of the planet.

“(Prince Charles) wants to talk about the environment and the natives want to talk about religious boarding schools,” historian and British monarch James Jackson told AFP.

“The three provinces most affected by the religious boarding school scandal are British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Alberta. This time he avoids it. By going to the Northwest Territories, we can talk about the environment without talking too much about the boarding school scandal.” He added.

The royal visit comes at a subtle juncture for the British monarchy, which has been rocked by two recent royal visits to the Caribbean, in which Prince William and later Prince Edward were invited to apologize for a past that belonged to British slaves.

The 96-year-old British Queen Elizabeth II has canceled all her public performances over the past seven months due to ill health, although the king, who has been on the throne for 70 years, paid a surprise visit. Opening of the London Underground in his name.

Although two-thirds of Canadians express deep affection for the Queen, they know for the rest of their lives that 51% want a constitutional monarchy for future generations, according to a recent study by the Canadian Angus Reed Institute.

At a time when Canada is critically reviewing its colonial past, 65% reject the idea that Carlos, 73, should become King and President of Canada, and 76% refuse to recognize Camila as his queen.

© 2022 AFP