The debate around residential schools in Canada continues to ignite controversy with no signs of letting up, as the federal government is now declining to say whether it will move to criminalize residential school denialism.The Globe and Mail reported that while officials in Ottawa have acknowledged there is strong interest in possible criminal measures, they have so far stopped short of committing to legislation, instead pointing to funding for research and documentation.In December, Assembly of First Nations (AFN) chiefs passed a resolution calling on the Liberal government to amend its proposed hate-speech legislation or introduce a stand-alone bill that would criminalize publicly condoning, denying, or minimizing the residential school system and the alleged abuse that occurred, recognizing such conduct as a hate crime.“The Government of Canada remains committed to advancing reconciliation with indigenous peoples in Canada and exploring all options to combat residential school denialism,” Justice Department spokesperson Kwame Bonsu said.However, Bonsu did not answer directly whether Ottawa would heed the AFN resolution..'COMPLETELY OUTRAGEOUS': Widdowson, prominent figures demand transparency after Ottawa blocks Kamloops grave reports.Recently, the debate over residential schools took another twist as the federal government withheld all reports related to the search for the graves of 215 children at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School, citing confidentiality concerns when Blacklock’s Reporter was denied an Access to Information request for the documents.To date, no human remains have ever been recovered from the Kamloops site.This latest development has added another layer of tension to the debate, with critics of the proposed AFN legislation warning that such measures could infringe on freedom of expression and duplicate existing hate-speech provisions..In reaction to Ottawa’s lack of transparency, National Post columnist Jamie Sarkonak said, “This is why you shouldn’t entertain even the less extreme demands of Reconciliationists.“Mandatory indigenous classes, indigenous-reserved board seats, more money, more apologies. It’s never enough; what they want is property seizure and legal compulsion of anti-Western opinion.”She went on to say that if the AFN’s position was “to throw ‘denialists’ in jail, then our position should be no more Section 35: no more special racial rights.”.Quillette editor Jonathan Kay reacted to the news, saying he missed the part where the proposed legislation would be “farcically unconstitutional” and that “every journalist,” including the one who wrote the Globe and Mail piece, “should be deeply unsettled by the fact that our government refuses to call out this crap for what it is.”.“When it’s easier for governments to criminalize speech than it is to prove it, we have big problems,” political commentator Ryan Gerritsen stated..The Western Standard’s own Cory Morgan echoed the sentiment, saying, “Canadians realize the Kamloops Residential School child burial thing was a hoax.“Making it illegal to say it won't change that fact.”
