Nearly all parliamentary groups back formal apology to indigenous Sámi

Only the Finns Party dismisses the idea of a state apology to the Sámi people, as called for by Prime Minister Petteri Orpo (NCP).

When the Sámi Truth and Reconciliation Commission released its final report last week, Prime Minister Petteri Orpo (NCP) said that the state must apologise to the Sámi for the injustices they have suffered, as reflected in the report.

According to SDP party secretary Mikkel Näkkäläjärvi, an apology is appropriate. However, lawmakers must first consider the right timing and how to ensure that the apology is valuable and appropriate, he told Yle.

“An apology is an important gesture, but at least as important, if not more important, are the other measures that are then also taken,” said Näkkäläjärvi, whose father is Northern Sámi.

Anders Adlercreutz, the chair of the Swedish People’s Party and Minister of Education, agrees that an apology is necessary. He believes it is responsible and right for the state to acknowledge that it has not fulfilled its responsibilities and obligations towards the EU’s only recognised indigenous people. He also believes that a mere apology is not enough.

“It also needs to include a promise and assurance that things will be improved, that we will be better at taking these issues into account in the future,” he told Yle.

“Concrete action needed”

Maaret Castrén, an MP from Orpo’s National Coalition Party, supports the premier’s stance as a means of “highlighting national responsibility”. Castrén chairs the parliamentary working group evaluating the recommendations of the Sámi Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

“An apology can mean a lot, especially to those who have been affected by historical injustices. I think that an apology is not just a gesture, but it tells the entire nation that Finland takes the lessons of history seriously,” said Castrén.

However, Castrén adds that concrete actions are needed alongside an apology.

Johanna Jussila, communications manager for the Left Alliance, agrees that a mere apology is insufficient. She believes that an apology should have been made decades ago, as in Norway and Sweden.

The Left Alliance points out that the psychosocial support offered in connection with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission should be continued to support the Sámi people in dealing with trauma.

“Work must also continue, for example, to ratify ILO Convention 169,” writes Jussila.

That is a 1989 International Labour Organisation treaty protecting the rights of indigenous and tribal peoples, recognising their cultures, lands, resources and right to self-determination, mandating government consultation and their participation in decisions affecting them. It has been ratified by Norway and Denmark, but not the three other Nordic countries.

Finns Party whip: Apology unnecessary

The Finns Party did not respond to Yle’s questions on the subject. However, the party’s parliamentary group leader, Jani Mäkelä, told the daily last week Helsingin Sanomat that he sees no need for an apology.

“I don’t see it as terribly significant,” he told HS. In Mäkelä’s view, the matter is not very significant and suggested that the Sámi have “had enough already” with last summer’s long-awaited revision of the Sámi Parliament Act.

“If there have been abuses in the past, they are not things I could have influenced,” Mäkelä said. “Who would I apologise for? Isn’t it time to move on?”

Oras Tynkkynen, chair of the Greens parliamentary group, does not share Mäkelä’s view.

“The value of an apology is weighed by how it helps the Sámi people who have experienced injustices – not by what Mäkelä thinks about the matter,” Tynkkynen wrote in response.

Christian Democrats party secretary Mikko Rekimies, Centre Party chair Antti Kaikkonen and Movement Now party secretary Petteri Redsven have all voiced support for an apology.

As Redsven sees it, the best way to apologise is to ensure that there will not be cause to apologise again in the future.

“This means that the status and rights of the Sámi people will be genuinely taken into account in future activities and decision-making,” he added.

Comments, tips or story ideas? Contact Eilís at eilis.quinn(at)cbc.ca 

Related stories from around the North: 

Canada: Indigenous leaders decry budget’s lack of money for key reconciliation programs, CBC News

Finland: Finland’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission makes 70 recommendations, 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

United States: U.S. Interior Secretary listens to Indian boarding school survivors on Alaska stop, Eye on the Arctic