April 3, 2025

(xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh)/Vancouver, B.C.) The First Nations Leadership Council (FNLC) is deeply angered and disturbed that two provincial and federal politicians continue to publicly advance Residential School Denialism.

Earlier today, MLA Dallas Brodie falsely accused the FNLC of “calling for [her] to be imprisoned” based on her public statements “that the number of confirmed burials at the former residential school in Kamloops is zero.” This is categorically untrue.

In fact, the FNLC called on March 20th for Canada to prioritize legislation to create legal protections against Residential School Denialism and has never called for Dallas Brodie to be jailed. The FNLC also noted that in her statements, MLA Brodie showed blatant disrespect for her position in public office by promoting harmful Residential School denialism on her social media. Further in the statement, the FNLC urged the government of Canada to uphold its obligations under the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and the principles of reconciliation, and urged all members of Parliament to work across party lines to make it an offence to promote hatred against Indigenous peoples by condoning, denying, downplaying, or justifying Residential Schools in Canada or misrepresenting related facts.

Separately, the FNLC is joining calls for the Conservative Party of Canada to drop Aaron Gunn, the candidate for North Island-Powell River, due to his horrific and offensive posts on X between 2019 and 2021 refuting that Indigenous people faced a genocide in Canada and that “residential schools were asked for by Indigenous bands.” Such attitudes are extremely harmful and divisive and should not be held by those in public office.

We continue to stand with Residential School survivors and their families and communities – we know the well documented truths of what happened, and we are grateful to them for continuing to bravely share their stories.

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