Â鶹ӰÊÓ

Canada

    • Survivors call on Canada to criminalize residential school denialism

    NDP member of Parliament Leah Gazan, second from right, is joined by Special Interlocutor Kimberly Murray, right, and Indian Residential School survivors during a press conference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Thursday, Oct. 30, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick NDP member of Parliament Leah Gazan, second from right, is joined by Special Interlocutor Kimberly Murray, right, and Indian Residential School survivors during a press conference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Thursday, Oct. 30, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
    Share
    OTTAWA -

    Residential school survivors are calling on Canada to criminalize residential school denialism, days after the release of a report about unmarked graves and burial sites associated with the institutions.

    Doug George, a survivor of the Mohawk Institute, says Canadians need to acknowledge the schools' place in history and to ensure the children who died are not silenced.

    "Canadians might be, you now, maybe feeling as though it's been a bit overwhelming over the past few years," George said, referencing the announcements from First Nations about their efforts to locate their missing children.

    "But you can imagine what it's like for us and our children and our communities?...You can't hide behind these things. You've got to come to grips with it."

    More than 150,000 Indigenous children were forced to attend residential schools, the last of which closed in 1996.

    An estimated 6,000 children died in the schools, though experts say the actual number could be much higher.

    Canada's special interlocutor on unmarked graves and missing children said despite the "well-documented reality" of those deaths, some Canadians have made a concerted effort to attack the truths of survivors, Indigenous families and communities.

    Kimberly Murray, who was appointed to the role in 2022, released a two-volume report this week after engagements with experts, residential school survivors and their descendants.

    Murray noted that denying residential schools enforces a false view of Canadian history and protects those responsible for the system by justifying their actions.

    She wrote that many people do not outright deny that residential schools existed and operated, but they misrepresent the intent, outcome and impacts of the system.

    "Denialism is not a simple misunderstanding of the facts; whether consciously or unconsciously, denialists are working toward the accomplishment of psychological, practical or political goals," she wrote.

    "Indian residential school denialism must be taken seriously because it puts at risk the important work of truth and reconciliation. It should not be dismissed as a harmless fringe phenomenon."

    She examined several examples of what she calls residential school denialism, including comments from a politician who said the good deeds of residential schools were being overshadowed by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, a book that claimed residential schools were necessary and unmarked graves associated with them were a "moral panic" based on "wild accusations," and a Catholic priest who told his congregation that Indigenous children enjoyed their time at the schools.

    "This denialism, if unchecked, will become a significant barrier to reconciliation," Murray wrote.

    NDP MP Leah Gazan introduced a private member's bill last month that seeks to criminalize residential school denialism. The Liberals have not said whether they will support the legislation, which has little chance of becoming law without government endorsement.

    The bill proposes that anyone who, other than in private, promotes hatred against Indigenous Peoples by "condoning, denying, downplaying or justifying the Indian residential school system in Canada or by misrepresenting facts related to it" could be subject to a maximum of two years in jail.

    The bill does set out some exceptions. For example, if the statements were true, if they were relevant to public interest, if they were intended to point out hatred toward Indigenous Peoples or if it was a religious opinion, the comments would not be against the law.

    Canada enacted a similar law in 2022 to combat Holocaust denialism, though so far no case has been successfully prosecuted under that provision.

    Murray has long called for legislation like Gazan's bill, saying in an interim report last year that denialism was increasing.

    In May 2021, the Tk'emlups te Secwepemc Nation announced ground-penetrating radar had uncovered what are believed to be 215 unmarked graves at the site of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School. That made international headlines and drew the ire of people who attacked the community online.

    "Some came in the middle of the night, carrying shovels; they said they wanted to 'see for themselves' if children are buried there," Murray wrote in her interim report.

    In her final report, Murray also suggested the government include a provision in the Online Harms Act -- legislation that is still being debated in the House of Commons -- to address the harms associated with residential school denialism, including missing and disappeared children and unmarked burials.

    Justice Minister Arif Virani said Tuesday his government needs to review the report and the "obligations" included in it, including whether they will adopt Gazan's bill.

    This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 31, 2024.

    CTVNews.ca Top Stories

    Mounties in British Columbia are set to announce details of the seizure of what investigators are calling the largest and most sophisticated drug 'super lab' in Canada.

    The Quebec government has suspended applications for permanent residency from two immigration streams because it says it can no longer accommodate the rising number of newcomers.

    BREAKING

    BREAKING

    A woman has been charged with dangerous driving causing death after a six-year-old boy was struck and killed by a school bus in Vaughan back in June, York Regional Police say.

    A 19-year-old mother has been charged with murder after her baby died in a house fire in Toronto last week, police say.

    The owners of the Whistle Stop Cafe is suing the Alberta government for imposing mandates on businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

    • Mounties say a hit-and-run driver who struck and killed a 21-year-old father on Vancouver Island last week may not be aware they hit someone.

    • When it comes to Halloween decorations, one Vancouver resident loves to push the limits.

    • A pedestrian was left seriously injured after being hit by a pickup truck in Maple Ridge on a dark and rainy Wednesday evening.

    • A 19-year-old mother has been charged with murder after her baby died in a house fire in Toronto last week, police say.

    • BREAKING

      BREAKING

      A woman has been charged with dangerous driving causing death after a six-year-old boy was struck and killed by a school bus in Vaughan back in June, York Regional Police say.

    • A 17-year-old is dead after he was involved in an exchange of gunfire with four police officers who were responding to a break-and-enter in progress in Aurora on Wednesday night, the province’s police watchdog says.

    • A 27-year-old security guard has been charged after an incident where a bar patron sustained life-threatening injuries.

    • A woman was seriously injured in a two-vehicle crash in the northeast community of Cornerstone on Wednesday afternoon.

    • Snow ducks, the frosty phenomenon that took over the University of Calgary campus earlier this year, are back in a big way.

    • OC Transpo is still not providing a launch date for the new north-south O-Train line, as it focuses on the final "critical milestones" to launch the new rail line that will connect downtown Ottawa and Riverside South.

    • Ottawa will be a major stop along an incoming high speed rail line, which will soon be announced by the federal government.

    • Trick-or-treaters may need the raingear, but not the big coat for Halloween, on a record-breaking warm October day in Ottawa. The temperature hit 22.6 C at 1 p.m., setting a record for the warmest Oct. 31 in Ottawa history.

    • A Montreal-area woman accused of throwing boiling water on a 10-year-old boy and causing serious injuries has been granted bail.

    • The City of Montreal found itself in the middle of a debate this week after complaints were made about a sign that featured a woman wearing a hijab.

    • The Quebec government has suspended applications for permanent residency from two immigration streams because it says it can no longer accommodate the rising number of newcomers.

    • The owners of the Whistle Stop Cafe is suing the Alberta government for imposing mandates on businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

    • Alberta's nurses have rejected a new collective agreement proposed by a mediator.

    • Alberta parents concerned about the economy are even more anxious about its impact on their children's lives, a new poll suggests.

    • The daughter of a Nova Scotia woman who was killed by her husband of 33 years earlier this month in Enfield says she wants police to release more details about domestic violence cases.

    • A 24-year-old woman has died after she was hit by a Halifax Transit bus Thursday morning.

    • Mason Louie of Moncton, N.B., has been decorating his house since 2019, but this year his family received a note calling the display too scary for children.

    • A power outage in a Manitoba town has caused a boil water advisory.

    • One Winnipeg restaurant got a surprise visit from a pair of ‘Lord of the Rings’ stars.

    • Before the trick-or-treating sugar rush sets in, a Manitoba dentist is reminding parents and caregivers just how much candy kids should consume on All Hallows’ Eve and beyond.

    • Nine of Regina's eleven mayoral candidates faced off in a debate on Wednesday evening, discussing a variety of topics.

    • A Regina man was taken into custody after a business on 5th Avenue was robbed Wednesday night.

    • Halloween has arrived, which means the streets of Regina will soon be filled with ghouls, ghosts and other scary creatures.

    • It might not be a ‘dark and stormy’ night, but trick-or-treaters may get a little wet tonight.

    • UPDATE

      UPDATE

      An 80-year-old Cambridge woman is dead following a crash in Cambridge Thursday morning.

    • Following a significant drug investigation, the Brantford Police Service (BPS) has seized the largest amount of fentanyl in the service’s history.

    • Four Saskatoon mayoral candidates had their chance to challenge each other on various issues during a televised debate Wednesday night.

    • Saskatchewan RCMP say that human remains found on Monday north of Lloydminster near the Alberta/Saskatchewan border were those of Serayne Kematch.

    • The final constituency to decide in Saskatchewan's 2024 election will come down to the final mail-in ballots, with the race still too close to call in Saskatoon Westview.

    • Environment Canada issued weather alerts Wednesday in anticipation of heavy rain and the first accumulating snowfall of the season in the northeast with up to 10 cm expected.

    • A Goulais River man has been charged with impaired driving and entering a premises without permission after he pulled into a driveway he thought was his and argued with the homeowner.

    • As reported on Tuesday, police said a man was with his family in a park near King Street and Thames Street, when an unknown man approached.

    • Police are investigating a road rage incident that led to gunfire on Wednesday. Around 11 p.m., OPP were sent to a home on Bruce Road 1 near Paisley.

    • A search warrant was used at a home where police seized several items including loaded weapons and a ballistic vest that had an old Sarnia police crews sewn on the front of it.

    • York Regional Police (YRP) are on the hunt for a man allegedly involved in the shooting of a 65-year-old man in Schomberg as he walked his dog in February 2023.

    • Barrie Mayor Alex Nuttall is ready to take action to address the issue of homeless encampments popping up in open areas, which is bound to come with some backlash.

    • Barrie man arrested by Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) faces slew of child interference and pornography-related charges.

    • A man accused of attempted murder has been arrested for failing to comply with his bail conditions.

    • Masks are now required in certain situations in Windsor Regional Hospitals due to increased COVID-19 cases and other viruses.

    • Windsor Fire and Rescue Services is reminding the community to stay safe and recognize the danger of carbon monoxide (CO).

    • Mounties say a hit-and-run driver who struck and killed a 21-year-old father on Vancouver Island last week may not be aware they hit someone.

    • Jayson Perry is in the midst of a journey he never expected to begin.

    • Mounties in British Columbia are set to announce details of the seizure of what investigators are calling the largest and most sophisticated drug 'super lab' in Canada.

    • More than two years after Alannah Brown and Douglas Barker were found dead north of Penticton, police are asking for help identifying a vehicle they believe was associated with the crime.

    • Dave Lindsey began growing giant pumpkins to bring a bit of magic to his grandkids' Halloween.

    • A U.S. District Court judge in Montana has sentenced a 27-year-old man from Kelowna, B.C., to 18 months in prison for using fake names to buy guns with the aim of selling them in Canada.

    • A 27-year-old security guard has been charged after an incident where a bar patron sustained life-threatening injuries.

    • Parks Canada and the Blackfoot Confederacy have announced a new collaboration.

    • A Lethbridge police officer faces multiple charges in relation to an off-duty domestic incident.

    • The City of Greater Sudbury has been chosen to host the Ontario 55+ Summer Games next year.

    • From Jan.1-Oct. 20, Ontario Provincial Police officers laid 95 impaired charges on Manitoulin Island, compared to 93 in all of 2023.

    • A Goulais River man has been charged with impaired driving and entering a premises without permission after he pulled into a driveway he thought was his and argued with the homeowner.

    N.L.

    Local Spotlight

    A Halifax junk remover shares some of his company’s strangest discoveries.

    When Leah arrived at work directing traffic around a construction site, she never expected to see a van painted in all sorts of bright colours, and covered in eclectic decorations, including a stuffed moose attached to its roof.

    After 14 years of repairing and selling bicycles out of the garage of her home, a Guelph, Ont. woman’s efforts have ended – for now, at least.

    Epcor says it has removed more than 20,000 goldfish from an Edmonton stormwater pond.

    Witches and warlocks have been flocking to New Brunswick waterways this month, as a new Halloween tradition ripples across the province.

    New Brunswicker Jillea Godin’s elaborate cosplay pieces attract thousands to her online accounts, as well as requests from celebrities for their own pieces.

    A new resident at a Manitoba animal rescue has waddled her way into people's hearts.

    Hundreds of people ran to the music of German composer and pianist Beethoven Wednesday night in a unique race in Halifax.

    He is a familiar face to residents of a neighbourhood just west of Roncesvalles Avenue.

    Politics

    Health

    Sci-Tech

    • Scientists find new piece in puzzle of America's oldest tombstone

      The oldest known surviving tombstone in the United States is an elaborate display of wealth — an intricately carved slab of black limestone initially laid in the floor of the second church of Jamestown, Virginia, the first permanent British settlement in North America.

    • Over four days on the water in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Heather Bowlby and her team from Fisheries and Oceans Canada tagged 15 great white sharks.

    Entertainment

    Business

    Lifestyle

    Sports

    Autos

    Shopping Trends

    The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at Â鶹ӰÊÓ. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop. Read about us.

    Stay Connected
    Follow Â鶹ӰÊÓ