Federal government apologizes for forced relocation of Sayisi Dene in Manitoba
TADOULE LAKE, Man. — The federal government has formally apologized and provided compensation for the forced relocation of a First Nations community in northern Manitoba 60 years ago.
Indigenous and Northern Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett visited the Sayisi Dene on Tuesday to apologize for the 1956 move that led to hunger, violence and death.
“Without proper consultation, without explanation and without adequate planning, the federal government took your people from the land and the waters that sustained you,” Bennett said in prepared remarks.
“The government of Canada did not provide proper food, shelter or support following the relocation. Decades later, we recognize that the impacts of the relocation were catastrophic.”