Apology Act

Apology Act (British Columbia, 2006) is a provincial law that allows individuals and institutions to offer an apology without that apology being used as evidence of legal liability. Under this act, saying “I’m sorry” cannot be interpreted in court as an admission of fault, negligence, or wrongdoing.
The purpose of the Act is to remove the legal risk associated with apologising, especially in healthcare, education, and other public systems where fear of liability often silences meaningful acknowledgement of harm. In practice, however, many institutions still resist apology, or offer only performative statements stripped of accountability. The law enables—but does not require—repair.