Kenney speaks out against 'cancel culture' in Canada, Treaty 6 grand chief responds
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney spoke out Tuesday afternoon about what he calls an ongoing "cancel culture" in Canada and warned if it continues, most of the country’s founding fathers could one-day be removed from the history books.
Kenney was asked for his thoughts on the Calgary Board of Education changing the name of Langevin School to Riverside School — a move done to remove the name of Hector-Louis Langevin, who is considered one of the Fathers of Confederation and also an architect of Canada’s residential schools — and whether the same should be done for Bishop Grandin School and Sir John A. Macdonald School because of their namesakes’ ties to the program.
The renewed calls come after the discovery of 215 buried bodies of children who went to a residential school in Kamloops.
"I'm not aware of the decisions they've made let me look into that," Kenney said of the name change, which was announced about 9:30 a.m. Tuesday.
Kenney then spoke favourably about Macdonald, noting that he co-sponsored a bill as a sitting MP to recognize Canada's first prime minister "without whom Canada would not exist."
"And as his authoritative contemporary biographer Richard Gwyn said, ‘No Macdonald, no Canada.’ I think Canada is worth celebrating. I think Canada is a great historical achievement. It is a country that people all around the world seek to join as new Canadians."
Kenney said Canada "is an imperfect country, but it is still a great country."
"Just as John A. Macdonald was an imperfect man, but was still a great leader," he said.
"If we want to get into cancelling every figure in our history who took positions on issues at the time that we now judge harshly, and rightly in historical retrospective, but if that's the new standard, then I think almost the entire founding leadership of our country gets cancelled.
"Tommy Douglas, who recommended the use of eugenics to sterilize the weak as he said, to … the Famous Five heroes of Canadian feminism, and the fight for equality for women.
"Some of them were advocates of eugenics that we would now regard as deplorable. So if we go full force into cancelled culture, then we're canceling most, if not all of our history."
Instead, Kenney said Canadians we should learn from our history, but also our failures.
Grand Chief Vernon Watchmaker of the Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations issued a statement, saying they are "appalled" by Kenney's statements, which he called "insensitive" toward the history of Treaty First Nations.
"We are grieving, I remind the Premier that (Monday) there was a vigil at the legislature to show honour, respect and unity to the loss of innocent lives of First Nations children," he said.
"This country and the province was established at the cost of our lives and well being."
Watchmaker added that "Just when we think we are experiencing acts of reconciliation, the premier contradicts all the efforts toward an understanding."
"The notion of the Doctrine of Discovery is evident here, which colonial powers laid claim to newly discovered lands," he said.
"The real Canadian story, is that we entered into Peace and Friendship Treaty with the Crown. Sir John A. Macdonald acted inhumanly toward First Nations, he aggressively implemented policy and legislation to assimilate and displace our people at all costs.
"This is very concerning."
Kenney's comments came days after the horrific discovery in Kamloops, despite years of calls to ditch the Langevin name from the Calgary school.
More than 150,000 First Nations, Métis, and Inuit children were forced into the residential school system between the mid 1800s and 1990s.
In Alberta alone, at least 821 children died while attending 25 schools operated throughout the province, but experts say that number is likely much higher.
St. Mary's (Blood) Residential School, located near Cardston, Alta. — about 78 kilometres south of Lethbridge — was the last residential school in Alberta. Opened in 1898, it was closed in 1988.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.