It's noted here, Mr. Chair, that:
On his last day as prime minister, Trudeau refused, apparently heatedly, a request that he apologize to Japanese Canadians for wartime removals and internments. “I cannot rewrite history,” he said. “It is our purpose to be just in our time and that is what we have done in bringing in the Charter of Rights.”
So he suggests that the Charter of Rights helps to undo some of those wrongs, as Mr. Mulroney did when he withdrew the War Measures Act.
This is another report by Michael R. Marrus from the Munk Centre:
With minor variations, complete apologies include the following four features:
1. an acknowledgement of a wrong committed, including the harm that it caused,
2. an acceptance of responsibility for having committed the wrong,
3. an expression of regret or remorse both for the harm and for having committed the wrong,
4. a commitment, explicit or implicit, to reparation and, when appropriate, to non-repetition of the wrong.
--which of course Mr. Mulroney did very specifically when he apologized to the Italian Canadian community. Again, as the parliamentary secretary pointed out, he also replaced the War Measures Act, so something like that couldn't happen again.
I know there might be some questions from the members opposite because of the volume of research we have here. I think we're going to at least have to look at the amendment a bit further. But for now, while I organize my notes and get prepared to talk a bit more on some issues, I will conclude there, Mr. Chair.