Canada’s special interlocutor for unmarked graves at former residential schools, Kimberly Murray says hate directed her way is what Indigenous communities and survivors of residential schools face when attempting to publicy discuss the devastating legacy of the system. JUSTIN TANG/THE CANADIAN PRESS
The Globe and Mail: Ottawa and Thunder Bay – Canada’s special interlocutor tasked with examining missing children and unmarked graves associated with residential schools says she faced death threats and abuse while doing her work.
Kimberly Murray, who delivered her final report on Tuesday, said the hate directed her way is what Indigenous communities and survivors of residential schools face repeatedly as they try to make Canadians aware of the devastating legacy of the system.
“When someone tells me that it is not going to end well for me, I mean, I take that as a threat to my life,” said Ms. Murray, who was appointed to her role in 2022 by the federal justice minister, in an interview Wednesday.
She said Canadians can see for themselves on social media “all the hate” directed at her. Online threats may be directed at her now, Ms. Murray said, but survivors also face individuals “targeting them with hate” when they come forward and speak of the “atrocities and crimes against humanity” they experienced.
Residential schools operated across the country from 1831 to 1996. The system forcibly removed Indigenous children from their families and communities to attend institutions where they often faced abuse and neglect, and thousands died.
On Thursday, Ms. Murray is set to join NDP MP Leah Gazan for a news conference on Parliament Hill calling for the adoption of her private member’s bill that would make it an offence to willfully promote hatred against Indigenous peoples by condoning, denying, playing down or justifying the Indian residential-school system in Canada through statements made other than in private conversation.
Ms. Gazan said this week that her bill is about denouncing hate speech rather than inhibiting free speech, asthere are similar provisions in the Criminal Code to bar Holocaust denial.
Ms. Murray’s role as special interlocutor involved meeting with Indigenous communities leading search and recovery work and attending commemorative gatherings and ceremonies. Her final report says elders and survivors directed her to be a voice for the children.
Ottawa must combat residential school denialism by amending Criminal Code, special interlocutor says
She also urged Ottawa to make amendments to the Online Harms Act to include Indian residential schools.
Ms. Murray said such legislative moves would send a message to Canadians so they realize that what is being “spewed” by some individuals is “hateful and contrary to the law.”
As for concerns about limiting free speech, she said Canada’s Supreme Court has made it clear there are limits to free speech if it causes harms and incites hate.
The experiences of communities and survivors across the country must be taken into account, she said.
Martha Sutherland, a survivor and an advocate, is currently helping to prepare her community for a ground search of the former St. Anne’s residential school in Fort Albany, Ont., a search expected to take place in the coming weeks.
She said revealing the truths about residential schools and the disappearance of children is necessary for generations of families who live and die with unanswered questions about what happened to their loved ones.
“My grandmother lived to her final days, until she left for the spirit world, not knowing what happened to her own son,” Ms. Sutherland said.
Ms. Sutherland said her family believes her Uncle Michael and two other boys were killed at St. Anne’s residential school in 1941 after they ran away. She said her family was told recently that one of the boy’s fathers returned the children to school. The boys were never seen again, she said, adding their bodies have never been recovered.
Ms. Murray’s report includes calls for Indigenous-led national commission with a 20-year mandate to investigate missing and disappeared children associated with residential schools.
After the release of the report, Justice Minister Arif Virani told reporters Tuesday that he has spoken to Ms. Gazan about her proposed legislation to criminalize residential school denialism. He said he will continue discussions after he has reviewed Ms. Murray’s findings.
Conservative Crown-Indigenous relations critic Jamie Schmale has said his party is closely examining Ms. Gazan’s bill and thatit will participate in debates in the House of Commons. He also said in a Tuesday statement that the party is reviewing Ms. Murray’s findings.
Sean Carleton, a historian and Indigenous studies scholar from the University of Manitoba, said Ms. Murray’s report highlights a tool kit for truth and reconciliation that could help Canadians.
Criminalizing residential school denialism as a hate crime is an example of one of those tools, he said. Canadians have a long history of ignoring the truth, he added, suggesting that reports such as the one produced by Ms. Murray are invitations to change a pattern of behaviour.
“Incontext of genocide, denial is usually the final step,” Prof. Carleton said. “It is a way of downplaying, diminishing, defending guilty parties and trying to protect that kind of status quo.”
KRISTY KIRKUP AND WILLOW FIDDLER