Prime Minister Harper gave a historic apologize in the Canadian parliament last week to Canada's aboriginal population, apologizing to them for a now long-defunct government program known as "residential schools."

From the 19th Century to the 1950's, Native Canadian children were routinely sent to special boarding schools in which they were aggressive Christianized and assimilated, in an effort to dissolve Native culture and traditions for future generations. Along with being disgustingly heavy-handed, these schools have also earned a reputation of being hotbeds of physical, emotional, and even sexual abuse.

In 2005 the Canadian government created an extremely generous compensation package for former students of residential schools, with reparations starting at $10,000 per student. This program, and Harper's subsequent apology, have both been controversial as they dredge up the age-old question: just how much responsibility do future generations have to address the crimes of the past?