Minister won’t commit to criminalizing residential school denialism

Indigenous Services Minister Mandy Gull-Masty refused to commit to making the denial of residential school history a criminal offense following a demonstration in British Columbia. The incident occurred just days before the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, which honors the children who attended residential schools and remembers those who did not survive.

Over 150,000 Indigenous children were forced into these institutions, with thousands losing their lives. NDP MP Leah Gazan has introduced a private member's bill to criminalize hate speech related to residential schools, but Gull-Masty did not indicate whether the Liberal government would adopt a similar measure.