Warning: This story offers with disturbing material that will upset and set off some readers. Discretion is suggested.
Conservative Chief Pierre Poilievre is standing by a candidate in British Columbia, at the same time as calls mount among various Indigenous leaders for the nominee to resign, accusing Aaron Gunn of denying the historical past of residential colleges.
“He’s not denied the affect of residential colleges, that’s simply misinformation,” Poilievre advised reporters Saturday when requested about his assist for Gunn, the candidate for North Island-Powell River.
“In reality, he has mentioned that he desires to proceed to sentence the residential colleges and construct stronger partnerships with First Nations folks to unlock our assets, in order that we are able to produce unimaginable paycheques and alternatives for First Nations communities proper throughout British Columbia.”
Earlier this week, regional chief of the British Columbia Meeting of First Nations Terry Teegee accused Gunn of creating previous feedback, calling them “reprehensible.”
“The feedback are reprehensible, particularly to residential faculty survivors,” Teegee mentioned.
Amongst these posts referenced included a video posted on social media through which Gunn mentioned Canada’s program of residential colleges didn’t represent an act of genocide and that the faculties are “much-maligned.”
“There was no genocide. Cease mendacity to folks and skim a guide,” Gunn wrote in 2020.
Teegee mentioned that the celebration ought to take away Gunn as a candidate for the feedback.
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“If that is the celebration that enables denialism sentiments from their (candidates), then I don’t assume they’re worthy of main any nation or authorities,” Teegee mentioned.
Greater than 150,000 Indigenous kids had been compelled to attend residential colleges, the final of which closed in 1996.
An estimated 6,000 kids died within the colleges, although consultants say the precise quantity might be a lot greater.
The Reality and Reconciliation Fee, which was tasked with researching the establishments, discovered they had been rife with abuse, with kids separated from their households and barred from visiting with their households.
It concluded the faculties had been supposed for cultural genocide, saying they had been “a scientific, government- sponsored try and destroy Aboriginal cultures and languages and to assimilate Aboriginal peoples in order that they now not existed as distinct peoples.”
Gunn responded to the accusations Thursday evening, saying he has “by no means wavered in condemning these establishments of abuse.”
“I’ve all the time been agency in recognizing the really horrific occasions that transpired in residential colleges, and any try and counsel in any other case is solely false,” he mentioned partly.
“I’ve by no means wavered in condemning these establishments of abuse, the place numerous First Nations suffered by the hands of a patronizing federal authorities.”
B.C. Conservative Chief John Rustad and Chris Sankey, a former candidate for the celebration prior to now provincial election, have posted on X, defending Gunn with Sankey calling the accusations “baseless.”
The previous vice-president of the Union of BC Indian Chiefs additionally referred to as on the celebration to take away Gunn, referencing varied social media posts.
Bob (Galagame) Chamberlin referred to as the feedback “offensive” in a information launch.
“After I see somebody like Aaron Gunn espousing what I see as racist comments-denialism of the impacts of residential colleges on First Nations, it’s appalling, it’s disgusting, it’s offensive,” Chamberlin mentioned.
“I consider that Canadians want to know that the Conservatives welcome a majority of these folks into their celebration, and I feel the chief must be requested does he assist these statements.”
Even amid the accusations, the Conservative Get together mentioned in an announcement to the Canadian Press — previous to Poilievre’s statements — that it stood by Gunn, saying he “has been clear in recognizing the really horrific occasions that transpired in residential colleges.”
They add that “any try and counsel in any other case is solely false.”
The celebration additionally pointed to a unanimous consent movement handed within the Home of Commons that acknowledged residential colleges as genocide in 2022.
Gunn was not a member of Parliament when that movement was handed.
Whereas the celebration seems to be standing by Gunn, it has dropped quite a lot of candidates in current days when feedback they’d made got here to mild.
—with information from The Canadian Press
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