Michael Higgins: Governor General has no business musing about ‘denialism’

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Governor General Louise Arbour is the latest political actor to give voice to the idea that Indian Residential School “denialism” is such a plague in this country that it must be stamped out.

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If that means criminalize it, as others have demanded, then the former Supreme Court judge is doing nothing for truth and even less for reconciliation.

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The movement to punish so-called denialism has flourished since questions first arose in the wake of the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation issuing a  statement in May 2021 stating that ground-penetrating radar “confirms” finding the remains of 215 children at Kamloops Indian Residential School.

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The ground-penetrating radar confirmed no such thing, certainly not the remains of 215 children.

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But a nation, led by mourner in chief Justin Trudeau, was suitably shocked and appalled. Five years later, with no evidence of any remains being found, the country, rightly, is more questioning than shocked.

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Following the Kamloops announcement, the Liberal government launched the Residential Schools Missing Children Community Support fund to provide money to Indigenous communities to locate missing children at Indian Residential Schools. So far, the government has handed out $284 million.

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When the government hands out more than a quarter of a billion dollars people have a right to know what it is being spent on and what are the results. This is not an issue of not listening to survivors, or denying “their truth,” it is a matter of good public policy in holding the government accountable for spending taxpayers’ money.

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Further, the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc statement pricked the conscience of a nation and when the federal government ordered flags lowered for six months it was a signal that a similar mourning period should be adopted by the public. After all that hullabaloo people have a right to ask what it was all about.

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But to question the 215-dead-children-at-Kamloops narrative is for some a form of denialism, which is why it is so chilling to hear politicians — and Canada’s governor general — demand so forcibly that it be rooted out.

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On Wednesday, at the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Ottawa, Arbour told the crowd, “We must also confront all forms of denialism that persist despite extensive historical records and undisputable body of evidence including firsthand survivor testimony.”

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Our former Supreme Court judge should clarify whether “all forms of denialism” includes querying the Kamloops narrative, because if it does Arbour has abandoned Enlightenment truth in favour of folklore.

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In July, during a First Nations news conference calling for a denialism law, Garrison Settee, Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak Grand Chief, said there was no need to exhume bodies at Kamloops.

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“They are there and they send us messages telling us they’re there,” he said. “You can tell they’re there, right? Feel the power and the energy. For somebody that’s not from our communities, that doesn’t understand our culture, you cannot understand what that means.”

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Canadians shouldn’t be persecuted under a denialism law because of the “power and energy” felt by Indigenous leaders no matter how sincerely held that belief is.

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Stephanie Scott, executive director of the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, shared the same stage as Arbour on Wednesday and denounced what she called a “rising wave of Residential School denialism.”

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“Survivors have fought for decades to defend their truth and confront the distortion of history while our legal system still fails to recognize denialism for what it is — hatred disguised as free speech,” she said.

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“Truth and reconciliation is an ongoing responsibility, a human rights obligation and a sacred commitment.”

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If truth is a such a sacred commitment why is there a push to criminalize those who seek the facts surrounding Kamloops?

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A week before Arbour’s comments, Rebecca Alty, the minister for Crown-Indigenous relations, issued a statement saying that to deny “their truths” was to undermine reconciliation.

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“For generations, Survivors and Indigenous communities have spoken about their experiences in Residential Schools and the impact these institutions had on children, families, and communities. Their truths are not new. Yet, we continue to hear statements denying this truth, circulating disinformation, and attempting to undermine reconciliation,” she said.

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Alty announced a $5 million public education initiative to the historical record, strengthen public understanding and confront “misinformation and denialist claims.”

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“Together, we can build a future where the truths of Survivors are respected, where Canadians have access to accurate information, and where reconciliation is strengthened through knowledge, understanding, and dialogue,” she said.

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But what happens when the “truths of Survivors” clashes with the information available — or not available — to Canadians?

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“Truth matters,” Alty declared in a final analysis.

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But whose truth? If there is a “their truth” then there must be a “your truth.” And how do we decide when those “truths” are at odds as they most certainly will be?

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As a respected jurist, Arbour is aware that seeking truth is a demanding, rigorous and often painful process. Reckless statements about confronting some kind of ill-defined denialism will comfort and encourage those who wish to use the law to criminalize Canadians who only want to know the facts. As the King’s representative, Arbour has no business wading into politics.

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Arbour’s role, according to the governor general website, is to bring “people together in a spirit of goodwill and common cause,” not engage in divisive political issues.

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We probably haven’t heard the last from Arbour. Which is a pity.

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National Post

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