Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre called accusations a party candidate in B.C. has denied the history of residential schools "misleading," and said he stands by his nominee.

“He’s not denied the impact of residential schools, that’s just misinformation,” Poilievre told reporters Saturday when asked about his support for Gunn, the candidate for North Island-Powell River.

“In fact, he 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 right across British Columbia.”

Among those posts referenced included a video posted on social media in which Gunn said Canada’s program of residential schools did not constitute an act of genocide and that the schools are “much-maligned.”

“There was no genocide. Stop lying to people and read a book,” Gunn wrote in 2020.

  • n2burns@lemmy.ca
    23·
    2 days ago

    Your comment is very short, so I may be reading too much into it. However, most people who deny Residential Schools were part of genocide, simply don’t know the definition. From the UN:

    genocide means any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such:

    1. Killing members of the group;
    2. Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;
    3. Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part;
    4. Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;
    5. Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.

    Many people assume genocide can is only something like the Holocaust, where there’s an attempt to exterminate a group, but it can be more subtle, such as, “killing the indian in the child.”

    • Dearche@lemmy.ca
      7·
      2 days ago

      I’d like to add that you don’t have to try to eliminate a group physically to be considered a genocide. Cultural genocide is a thing as well. The act of deliberately erasing a cultural identity, or to erase cultural practices is a form of genocide.

      Of course, there is leeway here, since certain things aren’t protected, like racial superiority, or cultures that promote hostility against other groups.

    • orbitz@lemmy.ca
      5·
      2 days ago

      My dad was status native, I couldn’t get that…now I’ll say what is my recollection because it’s been many years but I got the impression was because they (government…other? Unsure) disbanded the tribe for whatever reason that was. Mean I don’t want to claim rights or anything but a shame of whatever the reason a tribe was to not recognize it means someone doesn’t get those rights. I sort of thought it was cause my Mom was too white for many years, so sort of unsure. It’s unfortunately too late to get specifics but think the band being disbanded was the reason and a poor one. Apparently he tried to get me those rights at least once but was denied.