A new bill introduced in the House of Commons would make it a criminal offence to publicly deny or justify Canada’s Indian residential school system, with offenders facing up to two years in jail.New Democrat MP Leah Gazan (Winnipeg Centre) said Bill C-254 is aimed at “ending Residential School denialism” and protecting the truth of survivors’ experiences. “Survivors are carrying truths this country needed to hear — truths of violence, loss and resilience,” Gazan said. “Without truth there can be no reconciliation.”Blacklock's Reporter said nder the proposed law, anyone who “wilfully promotes hatred against indigenous people by condoning, denying, downplaying or justifying the Indian residential school system” outside of private conversation could face jail time. Exceptions are allowed for statements that can be proven true or are relevant to matters of public interest.Gazan previously introduced an identical bill, C-413, in 2024, but it lapsed when Parliament dissolved. .She argued the new legislation is necessary to protect the work of truth-telling and to prevent the erasure or distortion of history.The 2015 Truth and Reconciliation Commission called residential schools “cultural genocide,” a characterization accepted by then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Federal agencies have since confirmed the system’s genocidal impact, including after the 2021 announcement by the Tk’emlups te Secwepemc First Nation that ground-penetrating radar had detected the remains of 215 children at a former residential school site in Kamloops. Parks Canada documents later noted the radar results were inconclusive.To date, no bodies have been found.“This bill is about protecting their safety, honouring their truth, and ensuring the hard-won reality of what happened is never denied again,” Gazan said. “I call on all Members of Parliament to stand with survivors and uphold the truth.”
