First Nations should not have to defend truth of residential schools

The truth about residential schools should never have been this difficult for Canada to acknowledge. And it should never be this difficult to defend.

For generations, survivors have carried the memories of children taken from their families, the abuse they endured, the languages and cultures they were forbidden to practise, and the children who never came home. They have told their stories, often at tremendous personal cost, so Canada could no longer claim it did not know.

How many times must survivors tell their stories before the responsibility shifts from those who suffered to those who have a duty to listen and act?

On Oct. 9, Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew said residential school denialism should not be criminalized, arguing that continued education and efforts to combat misinformation are the answer.

Education matters. But when does the responsibility to educate end and the responsibility to act begin?

The premier’s comments are particularly concerning because he served as an honorary witness to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. He had an opportunity to hear survivors and witness the process through which they entrusted this country with their truths. That experience should mean something when those same truths are denied.

Churches have acknowledged their roles in residential schools. The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops issued an apology in 2021. In 2022, Pope Francis travelled to Canada and apologized for the Catholic Church’s role in the residential school system. Other churches have also acknowledged their complicity.

These acknowledgments came after years of survivors demanding that religious institutions confront their histories. Survivors did not receive apologies because they had failed to explain themselves. They received them because they persisted in telling the truth.

Why did it take so long for institutions that profess to uphold human dignity and compassion to acknowledge what happened? And now that these acknowledgments have been made, why are First Nations still expected to defend the truth of their own experiences?

An apology is not the end of accountability. Recognition is not the same as repair. Acknowledging the truth means little if it becomes optional whenever it is politically uncomfortable.

Manitoba’s recent acquisition of the former Turtle Crossing Campground in Brandon, a documented burial site for children who attended the Brandon Indian Residential School, is an important step. The province and City of Brandon have acted to protect the site, with further investigation to be Indigenous-led. The children deserve to have their resting places protected, their identities pursued and their stories remembered.

Premier Kinew has spoken about the importance of preserving this history so it can never be denied. That commitment matters. But protecting the resting places of these children and defending the truth about residential schools are connected responsibilities. We cannot honour the children in the ground while treating the truth of what happened to them as a matter of debate.

The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation in Winnipeg exists because survivors wanted their experiences preserved and future generations to know what happened. Its work, like the investigation in Brandon, reminds us that preserving the truth requires commitment. It also requires political leaders who will stand behind that truth when it is challenged.

First Nations did not create the residential school system. We should not be expected to carry the burden of correcting the racism it helped perpetuate. Our people cannot be endlessly asked to educate, explain and appease others simply to be treated with dignity and respect.

There is a difference between someone who genuinely wants to learn and someone who deliberately denies documented history. Education cannot be an excuse for inaction, nor should Survivors be expected to carry the burden of confronting denial alone.

The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs recognizes that criminalizing residential school denialism requires careful consideration, including freedom of expression and the appropriate role of the law. But listening to survivors must be central to that discussion. Their calls for stronger protections deserve to be heard seriously, not dismissed in favour of education alone.

Premier Kinew, you were an honorary witness to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Your government has taken a step to protect a place where residential school children are buried. You have spoken about keeping this history alive.

What will you do to defend that truth when others deliberately deny it?

Our survivors do not owe this country another explanation. They have spoken. The history has been documented. The responsibility now rests with political leaders, churches and Canadian society to listen, act and ensure reconciliation is more than words.

Our children and our ancestors deserve nothing less.

Kyra Wilson is Grand Chief of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs.