A Loaded Word Like Genocide

"[These northern community school programs were needed because many of the students coming to the schools were] behind in school three, four, five and six years."

"So we established a number of classes, which we have given the name special classes for want probably of a better word, and these classes are structured in such a way that the academic skills that are so important, to any child living in the 20th century, that these skills are taught in an appropriate manner."

"This [the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples' report] is clearly a slanted account of these institutions, and therefore should be viewed cautiously because, to cite one of the problems, it tells only part of the story."

"The phenomenon of Aboriginal residential schooling is too complex and requires considerable nuance."

Robert Carney, Catholic educator, federal day school principal (Father of Mark Carney) 

"We must acknowledge the terrible mistakes of our past and learn from our history while celebrating Canada as the greatest country on earth."

"Why are the report authors [and now Trudeau] sensationalizing truly horrific events that need to be examined honestly and seriously, with a loaded word like 'genocide' that doesn't remotely reflect the reality of what happened?"

Aaron Gunn, documentary filmmaker, Conservative candidate for federal election, North Island -- Powell River 

"He [Aaron Gunn] has said that he wants to continue to condemn the residential schools and build stronger partnerships with First Nations people to unlock our resources so that we can produce incredible paycheques and opportunities for First Nations communities."

Conservative Party leader, Pierre Poilievre 

 

Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre rejected calls from Indigenous leaders and other critics demanding that he drop Aaron Gunn from running for the Conservative Party, while at a campaign stop in Osoyoos, British Columbia. Social media posts from Mr. Gunn dating from between 2019 and 2021 where he denied the label of 'genocide' respecting Indigenous Peoples' treatment in Canada has occasioned a stream of outrage from a group of Indignous leaders in British Columbia.

 

The First Nations Leadership Council has called upon Mr. Poilievre to remove Mr. Gunn as a Conservative candidate for Parliament in the upcoming general election, pointing out social media posts denying 'genocide'; one where Mr. Gunn stated that some residential schools "were asked for by Indigenous bands". Now considered to be colonial institutions whose design  was to pull Indigenous children away from their cultural roots, they contend.

 

These posts, according to the council were "horrific and offensive". "Such attitudes are extremely harmful and divisive and should not be held by those in public office", they stated. 26 municipal mayors, councillors and B.C. Indigenous leaders called through an open letter for Mr. Poilievre to remove his candidate for election, citing  his statements as "concerning", and "despicable", "Incompatible with a Canada where reconciliation is a priority".

 

In response it was pointed out that former federal justice minister, human rights lawyer Irwin Cotler as well as Romeo Dallaire whose experience leading the United Nations peacekeeping mission during the Rwanda genocide also questioned the report's conclusion into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls that concluded Canada had -- and continued to -- commit "colonial genocide" against Indigenous Peoples. 

Mr. Gunn was also defended by Conservative campaign spokesperson Sam Lilly who pointed to a statement when the candidate stated he has "never wavered" in condemning residential schools, describing them as "institutions of abuse, where countless First Nations suffered at the hands of a patronizing federal government". 

 

In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, examining the history of residential schools, concluded that the institutions were part of a long-running government policy to erase Indigenous identity through assimilation. A policy, according to the report that "can be best described as 'cultural genocide'." Florid language that assaults the very deep meaning of 'genocide' with its intention to extinguish the lives of an entire people in a campaign of mass murder. 

"There was no genocide. Stop lying to people and read a book. The Holocaust was a genocide."

"Get off Twitter and learn more about the world."

Aaron Gunn

Clearly, Aaron Gunn has his impassioned albeit uninformed detractors determined to unseat his aspirations to represent the area in Parliament. But then, this man also has supporters who feel strongly enough about the campaign to dislodge  him, to speak out in his favour. To that end, eight elected officials including a former mayor, signed a letter that they "feel compelled to speak out in strong support of ... Gunn, whose character and record have been profoundly misrepresented in a troubling smear campaign."