Winnipeg Centre MP Leah Gazan made an appearance at Powell River Recreation Complex on January 20 to outline the harms of Indian residential school denialism.
At the invitation of North Island-Powell River MP Rachel Blaney, Gazan was scheduled to speak in Evergreen Theatre about how there can be movement as communities and nationally move forward in the pursuit of truth and reconciliation.
In an interview with the Peak prior to the community speaking engagement, Gazan said she was going to speak about her private member’s Bill C-413, which is an act to amend the Criminal Code of Canada regarding promotion of hatred against Indigenous peoples. The bill is to criminalize the wilful promotion of hatred against Indigenous peoples by condoning, denying, downplaying or justifying the Indian residential school system in Canada through statements communicated other than in private conversation.
Gazan said her bill is intended to add to Criminal Code of Canada section 318, which, according to Gazan, currently recognizes Holocaust denial as citing hate. She said her proposed amendment addresses the promotion of hatred against Indigenous peoples. Her addition states: Everyone who, by communicating statements, other than in private conversation, wilfully promotes hatred against Indigenous peoples by condoning, denying, downplaying or justifying the Indian residential school system in Canada, or by misrepresenting facts relating to it, is guilty of an indictable offence and liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years, or is guilty of an offence punishable on summary conviction.
The bill received first reading on September 26, 2024.
“Prior to the last orange shirt day, I put forward my private member’s bill in honour of survivors, who requested that I put something in place to protect them as a result of an increase in residential school denialism,” said Gazan. “It’s really a follow-up to the motion that I put forward in the House of Commons in 2022 that recognized what happened in residential schools as a genocide. This is the first genocide that has been recognized by Parliament within our borders.”
Gazan said elected officials are on record denying residential schools. She accused Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre as a residential school denialist, following an interview he had with Canadian commentator Jordan Peterson.
Gazan said prior to her election in 2019, she taught for many years at the University of Winnipeg, and one of the items she taught was a course called aboriginal education, which was mandated by the province in 2007, providing for teachers to learn about residential schools.
“What I do know is that when people know better, they do better,” said Gazan. “What I found throughout that course is that over time, through education, more and more people entering the course knew about residential schools.
“Since the discovery of unmarked graves, we’ve seen a rise in denialism. All the efforts we’ve put into reconciling in the country are at risk.”
Gazan said late senator Murray Sinclair said in an article that some people who believe they have the privilege of holding power, and should continue to have that privilege, are going to fight against reconciliation.
“They are going to say that the residential schools were all about education and the Indians should be thankful,” said Gazan. “This bill doesn’t just protect survivors, families and communities, but it is also a way to protect all the important relationship building that Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians have done throughout the years to move forward in a way where this can never happen again – that this kind of genocide can never happen again.”
Gazan said it is important to recognize residential schools as an aggressive act of assimilation. She added that there are more children now in child welfare, much related to colonial trauma and the destruction of families.
Gazan said she is from Wood Mountain Lakota First Nation, which was impacted by child welfare and residential schools and the institutionalization of Indigenous peoples.
“I can’t think of anything more violent and harmful than to deny a genocidal history, particularly when the legacy is ongoing,” said Gazan.
She said people talk about free speech, but residential school denialism does not qualify as free speech.
“This is about limits and protecting people’s charter rights from the incitement of hate,” said Gazan. “This is disinformation that is void of historical fact, and we need to protect families, communities and survivors from the incitement of hate. If we can’t protect families, communities and survivors from the incitement of hate and denialism, we’re not ready to reconcile in this country.”
Gazan is hoping her bill will continue to progress through parliament after it resumes from prorogation. She doesn’t expect support from the Conservative ranks, but said minister of crown-Indigenous relations Gary Anandasangaree has been publicly supportive.
“There’s a recognition that residential school denialism is harmful,” said Gazan. “I think people across Canada are good. Let’s not let a small, extremist population destroy all the achievements we’ve made reconciling in this country.”
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