OTTAWA - It's Canada's 141st birthday on Tuesday and the prime minister is pointing to his government's recent apology for residential school abuses as a prime example of Canadian togetherness.
Stephen Harper has issued his third Canada Day message since his minority Conservative government took power in January 2006.
In emphasizing unity and co-operation among Canadians, Harper calls the formal apology `an important evolution in Canada's relationship with our First Peoples.'
But while the apology was welcomed by many, some natives remain skeptical about the gesture.
They say it will take time and real action before they believe the June 11 apology is anything more than Canada Day fireworks - pretty lights that fade away almost as quickly as they burn.
Roughly 150,000 native students were uprooted from their homes and sent to residential schools, where they lost their much of their language and culture and many were sexually, physically or mentally abused.
