Two men switched at birth finally get apology for life-changing mistake nearly 70 years on

Two Canadian men who were mistakingly switched at birth have received an apology from the government nearly 70 years on.

Richard Beauvais and Eddy Ambrose, 68, were both born on the same day in 1955.

Both coming into the world in the same hospital in Arborg, Manitoba - a major error would change the men's lives forever.

Beauvais, from the coastal town of Sechelt, British Columbia, grew up believing he was indigenous.

But after taking a DNA test, it showed he had a mix of Ukrainian, Ashkenazi Jewish and Polish ancestry.

Some 1,500 miles away, the sister of Ambrose, who was raised by a Ukrainian family, also took a DNA test.

YouTube/The Canadian Press

She discovered that she was not related to Ambrose.

Instead, Beauvais was her biological brother.

So back in 1955, the two men were switched at birth and taken home by each other's biological parents.

And only on Thursday (21 March) did the two men receive a formal apology in person from Manitoba's Premier Wab Kinew.

They sat side-by-side to hear the apology, after spending years away from their respective biological families.

Speaking in the Manitoba Legislative Assembly, Mr Kinew said: "I rise today to deliver an apology that has been a long time coming, for actions that harmed two children, two sets of parents and two families across many generations.

"We are sometimes asked to understand empathy and compassion by considering what it is like to walk a mile in another person's shoes," the premier remarked.

"If that statement is true, our honoured guests here today will perhaps understand compassion and empathy on a level very few of us will be able to approach."

YouTube/The Canadian Press

Ambrose and Beauvais first connected on a phone call, according to the Globe and Mail - a call none of us can ever imagine having to take.

“Is this Eddy Ambrose?” Beauvais started the call, as per the outlet. "I don’t think you remember me, but we met a very long time ago. It was 1955 and we were side by side on the bed."

The men's lawyer, Bill Gange, told the BBC that the apology is a significant admission. "That a mistake was made, that has affected all of them," said Gange.

"[It is] the premier, on behalf of the province, saying out loud and to their faces, 'this should not have happened to you,' and I think that is an important acknowledgement."