No apology for Doukhobors

Attorney General Geoff Plant is offering his deepest regrets but not a public apology to a group of Doukhobors who were locked up by the B.C. government in the 1950s.

About 170 Sons of Freedom Doukhobor children were taken from their families in the 1950s and interned at a government institution in New Denver in the B.C. Interior.

They taken from their families half a century ago as the B.C. government tried to quell a spate of arsons and protests by the sect.

Speaking in the legislature, Plant said the then-children of the Sons of Freedom Doukhobors were caught in a conflict through no fault of their own.

"So on behalf of the government of British Columbia, I extend my sincere, complete and deep regret for the pain and suffering you experienced during the long separation from your families," he said.

• LINK: Plant's statement of regret

Plant says the government is concerned about opening the door to lawsuits if it offers a full apology.

Walter Swetlishoff, who was watching from the gallery with several other survivors, calls the Attorney General's statement a disappointment. He says members feel as if they've once again been abused by the B.C. government and that they were treated as prisoners.

• FROM APRIL 8, 1999: Past treatment of Doukhobor children criticized

Swetlishoff says he and the others aren't about to give up. They plan to continue their efforts to shame the government into offering the apology they believe they've been owed for decades.

Swetlishoff wants the government to implement all the recommendations made by then Ombudsman Dulcie MacCallum five years ago.

• LINK: Ombudsman's report

She said the survivors deserved a full, clear and public apology on behalf of the government for their confinement in New Denver. Her report says there should also be appropriate compensation.