A quarter of a century ago, a man named Glenn Babb was invited to visit an Indian reserve in Manitoba to talk about what he saw there. At the time, Mr. Babb was a diplomat; ambassador to Canada of the racist apartheid government of South Africa.
The idea that a representative of one of the most hated regimes in the world could teach Canada anything about racism caused a firestorm across the country. Mr. Babb was denounced as a racist and the Indian chief who invited him was pilloried.
His diplomatic career behind him, Glenn Babb is now a Capetown businessman. But he is still caught up in Canada's relationship with our indigenous people.
In a recent publication, he wrote a scathing attack on the Harper Government's relationship to Indian people. Among other things, he says Canada has air-brushed its indigenous peoples out of our democratic narrative, and that while everything has changed for the blacks of South Africa, nothing has changed for the Indians of Canada. He calls Prime Minister Harper's apology for the residential schools "mealy-mouthed."PECO Hurricane Sandy update mta ellen degeneres tomb of the unknown soldier tomb of the unknown soldier HMS Bounty
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