Those on right side of the spectrum in Canada scrutinizing Canada’s residential school experience need to be more careful. In 2022, I worked inside a former residential school. I worked as senior communications adviser for the First Nations Tax Commission (FNTC), a national public institution that assisted First Nations wishing to exercise their tax jurisdiction. Our main office was in Kamloops, BC. My office faced out onto the field where the First Nation government stated in 2021, they had discovered what they believed were 215 unmarked graves. I could see people coming and going outside my window, leaving wreaths or other commemorative items. Those that would identify on the right or identify as limited government advocates must understand how First Nation and Metis people (a minority of attendees were Metis) still find this legacy so painful. The last schools closed in the mid-1990s. This is not ancient history; many individuals remember and carry this pain. One can understand how school experiences — if they were negative — can still affect families now due to inter-generational effects. I worked as a journalist in the early 2000s at a prominent indigenous newspaper in Winnipeg. I recall one time I was placing a news story for our national section about the first indigenous bishop within the Anglican Church of Canada. Our Cree publisher was visibly bothered by this decision, and I could tell it mostly was about organized religion. I defended the decision, mentioning I was Christian. He did not criticize me, but the tense conversation ended on a personal note. He said: “Do you think I am going to hell Joseph?” I could tell he was speaking past me to negative experiences in his past. He attended a residential school, and his experiences of religious training still bothered him. I am an evangelical Christian. Our churches did not run any of the schools, but I recognized this gulf between indigenous people and the churches still existed. I regret — as a Christian — that he and others experienced Christian faith this way. He only experienced organized religion as something shoved down his throat at a school supported by the federal government. I was no happier as a Canadian our government facilitated it. No one has discovered as of this date bodies in the field where my Kamloops office used to overlook. The public and media of course must be able to state this. However, they still need to exercise sensitivity and discretion. Many Canadians living right now attended these schools and had horrible experiences. Some school officials faced criminal charges over what they did to students. One cannot repeat the unproven claim children’s graves had been uncovered in Kamloops. I would say it is equally wrong to describe this discovery as a “lie” or a “hoax.” I would argue those terms connote malice and deliberate obfuscation, which has not been proven either. When we use those terms, we are labelled “residential school deniers." Granted, the term “denier” is oftentimes applied unfairly, but using more discretion can help avoid it being applied at all. We want to prove the label of “denier” does not apply to us. We should not want it to remain unchallenged. I believe those who refer to the Kamloops discovery as a “hoax” need to understand that word gets easily misunderstood. Many Canadians sadly only skim news headlines. Many people — especially those of indigenous background — see the term and think the author is calling the whole residential schools experience unfounded. We have a duty to avoid causing unnecessary pain to people who themselves, or their families, went through experiences of abuse and mistreatment. First Nations and Metis people — like any part of society — need empathy and understanding for their negative experiences with past government policies. Many residential school attendees tell us they had neutral and sometimes positive experiences. However, we would not be justified therefore in describing the schools in a cavalier way and causing unnecessary hurt. I don’t believe the schools — despite many policies being about unjustifiable assimilation — rose to the level of “genocidal.” I don’t believe the evidence takes us that far. Canadians and especially First Nations should know that distinction. Canadians began hearing about arson and vandalism committed against properties owned by churches that coincided with the Kamloops discovery. We must clear the air. These incidents are driven by the pain of the residential schools legacy, but they are primarily motivated by these unproven beliefs about graves. We on the Canadian right must recognize this government policy facilitated injustices on Indigenous people. We need to make peace with the 2008 residential schools’ apology and settlement Prime Minister Stephen Harper negotiated with indigenous leaders. I believe advocates for limited and smaller government should not be apologists for a national education policy that was imposed on local reserve communities in a top-down manner. Talk about an example of an error of Big Government! Historians tell us the school’s legacy — although mixed — is tainted because many of the policies were driven by past racial attitudes. Conservatives surely can empathize with indigenous people who are offended by school policies that aimed to forcibly change fundamental parts of their identity. Canada’s right has a conflicted relationship with indigenous peoples. If we show more understanding on this, we can help to mend that. Joseph Quesnel is a Metis policy commentator. He lives in Nova Scotia.
Those on right side of the spectrum in Canada scrutinizing Canada’s residential school experience need to be more careful. In 2022, I worked inside a former residential school. I worked as senior communications adviser for the First Nations Tax Commission (FNTC), a national public institution that assisted First Nations wishing to exercise their tax jurisdiction. Our main office was in Kamloops, BC. My office faced out onto the field where the First Nation government stated in 2021, they had discovered what they believed were 215 unmarked graves. I could see people coming and going outside my window, leaving wreaths or other commemorative items. Those that would identify on the right or identify as limited government advocates must understand how First Nation and Metis people (a minority of attendees were Metis) still find this legacy so painful. The last schools closed in the mid-1990s. This is not ancient history; many individuals remember and carry this pain. One can understand how school experiences — if they were negative — can still affect families now due to inter-generational effects. I worked as a journalist in the early 2000s at a prominent indigenous newspaper in Winnipeg. I recall one time I was placing a news story for our national section about the first indigenous bishop within the Anglican Church of Canada. Our Cree publisher was visibly bothered by this decision, and I could tell it mostly was about organized religion. I defended the decision, mentioning I was Christian. He did not criticize me, but the tense conversation ended on a personal note. He said: “Do you think I am going to hell Joseph?” I could tell he was speaking past me to negative experiences in his past. He attended a residential school, and his experiences of religious training still bothered him. I am an evangelical Christian. Our churches did not run any of the schools, but I recognized this gulf between indigenous people and the churches still existed. I regret — as a Christian — that he and others experienced Christian faith this way. He only experienced organized religion as something shoved down his throat at a school supported by the federal government. I was no happier as a Canadian our government facilitated it. No one has discovered as of this date bodies in the field where my Kamloops office used to overlook. The public and media of course must be able to state this. However, they still need to exercise sensitivity and discretion. Many Canadians living right now attended these schools and had horrible experiences. Some school officials faced criminal charges over what they did to students. One cannot repeat the unproven claim children’s graves had been uncovered in Kamloops. I would say it is equally wrong to describe this discovery as a “lie” or a “hoax.” I would argue those terms connote malice and deliberate obfuscation, which has not been proven either. When we use those terms, we are labelled “residential school deniers." Granted, the term “denier” is oftentimes applied unfairly, but using more discretion can help avoid it being applied at all. We want to prove the label of “denier” does not apply to us. We should not want it to remain unchallenged. I believe those who refer to the Kamloops discovery as a “hoax” need to understand that word gets easily misunderstood. Many Canadians sadly only skim news headlines. Many people — especially those of indigenous background — see the term and think the author is calling the whole residential schools experience unfounded. We have a duty to avoid causing unnecessary pain to people who themselves, or their families, went through experiences of abuse and mistreatment. First Nations and Metis people — like any part of society — need empathy and understanding for their negative experiences with past government policies. Many residential school attendees tell us they had neutral and sometimes positive experiences. However, we would not be justified therefore in describing the schools in a cavalier way and causing unnecessary hurt. I don’t believe the schools — despite many policies being about unjustifiable assimilation — rose to the level of “genocidal.” I don’t believe the evidence takes us that far. Canadians and especially First Nations should know that distinction. Canadians began hearing about arson and vandalism committed against properties owned by churches that coincided with the Kamloops discovery. We must clear the air. These incidents are driven by the pain of the residential schools legacy, but they are primarily motivated by these unproven beliefs about graves. We on the Canadian right must recognize this government policy facilitated injustices on Indigenous people. We need to make peace with the 2008 residential schools’ apology and settlement Prime Minister Stephen Harper negotiated with indigenous leaders. I believe advocates for limited and smaller government should not be apologists for a national education policy that was imposed on local reserve communities in a top-down manner. Talk about an example of an error of Big Government! Historians tell us the school’s legacy — although mixed — is tainted because many of the policies were driven by past racial attitudes. Conservatives surely can empathize with indigenous people who are offended by school policies that aimed to forcibly change fundamental parts of their identity. Canada’s right has a conflicted relationship with indigenous peoples. If we show more understanding on this, we can help to mend that. Joseph Quesnel is a Metis policy commentator. He lives in Nova Scotia.
