A decades old CBC Radio interview has emerged of Robert Carney using questionable language in reference to indigenous and "negro" children.
Was he a reflection of the times — and an education pioneer — or a bigoted colonizer on Indian land?
Carney worked as an educator in the Northwest Territories during the 1960s, serving as principal of the Joseph Burr Tyrrell federal Indian day school in Fort Smith starting in 1962.
He later became the superintendent of school programmes for the region, focusing on indigenous education, including for Dene and Inuit students. His tenure involved managing a combined school attended by both indigenous and non-indigenous students, reflecting the assimilationist educational policies of the time.
The Joseph Burr Tyrrell school's history as a federal Indian day school places it within a system that has been widely criticized for contributing to cultural disruption and harm. Indian day schools, while distinct from residential schools, were part of Canada’s broader assimilationist policies, often involving underfunding, neglect, and efforts to suppress Indigenous languages and cultures.
Carney described the unique educational hurdles faced by indigenous students in the region during the interview reflecting on his tenure in the 1960s. Carney used the term "culturally retarded child" to characterize some students from indigenous backgrounds.
"In the context of the Northwest Territories, [it] is a child from a native background who, for various reasons, has not been [in] regular attendance in school, is from a language background other than English, and who is behind in school, say, three or four years," he said.
Drawing parallels to urban settings, Carney noted similar challenges elsewhere.
"In many centres in southern Canada, we would [see] the subculture groups, say, in a working-class area of a large city, you would have children who you would call culturally retarded," he said.
He also pointed to the United States, adding, "Certainly in the United States, in the large cities, and particularly in the eastern United States, among negro groups, we have many examples of cultural retardation and programs that have been developed to meet their needs."
Carney’s comments highlight the assimilationist educational approaches of the era, aimed at bridging gaps between indigenous students and what he called "the dominant culture."
“He was my principal, he was great,” said Frieda Martselos, who attended Joseph Burr Tyrell school, to APTN
“I don’t have any negative stories,” she added. "Everyone who went to school with me there have done very well in their lives.”
Robert Carney died in 2009.
