PM Orpo: Finland must apologise to Sámi people
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s report lists 70 recommendations on how Finland can improve its relationship with the Sámi people.
Finland must issue an apology to the Sámi people for the discrimination they have experienced, Prime Minister Petteri Orpo (NCP) said on Thursday.
PM Orpo made his comments in the wake of a report by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which was issued to the government on Thursday morning.
The document was also handed over to the Sámi Parliament and the Skolt Sámi Siida Council.
The commission was appointed by Sanna Marin‘s government in 2021 to “identify and assess the historical and current discrimination” experienced by the Sámi people.
In compiling its report, the commission consulted about 400 Sámi people and commissioned 25 separate studies by various experts.
The final report contains nearly 70 recommendations on how Finland can repair its relationship with the Sámi people — including that the state must take responsibility for historical injustices.
“For the truth and reconciliation process to be successful, it is important to increase awareness and understanding of the Sámi as Finland’s only Indigenous people,” commission chair Hannele Pokka said. “It is time to right the wrongs and injustices done to the Sámi people. We hope that our work will open the way for reconciliation so that Finland’s two peoples, the Finns and the Sámi, can live together in good cooperation with one another.”
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, PM Orpo said he plans to set up a parliamentary working group to consider how and when the apology should be given, so that it is comprehensive and respectful.
Related stories from around the North:
Canada: How to mark the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in the North, CBC News
Finland: Sami Parliament in Finland agrees more time needed for Truth and Reconciliation Commission preparation, Eye on the Arctic
Greenland: Greenland, Denmark initiate investigation into past relations, Eye on the Arctic
Norway: Can cross-border cooperation help decolonize Sami-language education, Eye on the Arctic
Sweden: Sami in Sweden start work on structure of Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Eye on the Arctic
