Comments attributed to Tla’amin Nation resident Maynard Harry about Caucasian people being subhuman have been clarified by Harry in Tla’amin’s publication Neh Motl.
In the New Westminster Times, the editor stated that Harry, a former chief councillor of Tla’amin, provided a 90-minute interview in which Harry was quoted by the publication as saying: “The white people in Canada are subhuman because of what they’ve allowed to happen.”
The Peak reached out to Harry through a telephone call but he declined the opportunity to provide a direct response to the New Westminster Times story.
In an open letter to Tla’amin, dated February 20 and published in the March 2024 Neh Motl publication, Harry, whose Tla’amin name is KWAST-en-ayu, said he wanted to be clear that he made statements to the New Westminster Times as an individual and they in no way reflect the opinions or beliefs of Tla’amin Nation’s leadership.
“Prior to the article’s publication, I spent 90 minutes speaking with the reporter responsible for writing the story, meticulously articulating my viewpoint on the City of Powell River naming issue,” stated Harry in Neh Motl. “In the end, I found the article poorly written and misleading to the spirit and intent of my remarks.
“I would like to say I do regret talking to this reporter and apologize to our Tla’amin community for any harm that you may have experienced as a result of this interview.”
Harry, in his Neh Motl clarification, stated that his use of the term subhuman in the interview was in the context of lived experiences within his family, community, culture and direct exposure under Canada’s Indian Act, a status Indian in the Indian reserve system and of a family directly impacted by Canada’s Indian residential school system.
“My use of the term subhuman was aimed primarily at individuals in positions of power, i.e. prime minister, premiers, MLAs, MPs, chamber of commerce business leaders, mayors/councils, Indian Act elected chiefs/councils, RCMP, all Christian churches, who were and are in positions to effect positive change, yet consciously chose to ignore, remain silent and do nothing,” stated Harry. “These statements were not aimed at the average non-Indigenous Canadian, those not in positions of authority. I know many white settlers who are critical thinkers, capable of empathizing with the experiences of the Tla’amin Nation and have demonstrated that white privilege can be seen and understood in a way that minimizes its harm.”
At the February 27 special City of Powell River Council meeting called to discuss city budgetary matters, mayor Ron Woznow placed an item on the agenda under new business titled Public Comments attributed to Maynard Harry.
Woznow said city residents have asked for council to clarify its position on hate.
“The city has stated publicly that it does not condone any form of hate,” said Woznow. “That is inconsistent with what we have stated in the past. Further, we do not comment on remarks attributed to individuals.
“In terms of our civic protocols, there will be no discussion on any specific comments that are attributed to an individual today.”
Woznow said to summarize, the city does not condone any hateful speech. There were no additional comments from city councillors.
The Peak has reached out to Tla’amin Nation for comment.
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