New Manitoba Indigenous reconciliation minister offers 'sincerest apologies' over residential schools remarks

Manitoba’s newly minted minister for Indigenous reconciliation has issued an apology after he said those who ran residential schools believed “they were doing the right thing” minutes after being sworn in. 

“I would like to offer my sincerest apologies to all Indigenous and non-Indigenous Manitobans, and Canadians whom I have offended greatly with my remarks yesterday,” Alan Lagimodiere said in a statement issued late Friday afternoon. 

“I want to acknowledge the words I used to respond to a question about residential schools, during my first scrum as a new minister in this very important portfolio, were wrong, and I genuinely