Southern Manitoba First Nations condemn newspaper for column questioning deaths at residential schools

People march through downtown Winnipeg on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on Sept. 30. (Prabhjot Singh Lotey/CBC)Social SharingA column questioning the deaths of children at residential schools has led the Southern Chiefs' Organization to condemn the Winnipeg Sun and express concern that the newspaper's CEO is running for mayor of the Manitoba capital.

On Oct. 4, the Sun published a column entitled "Grave misdirection: Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence," suggesting the deaths of Indigenous children at residential schools have been mischaracterized.

"Each death is a tragedy, but none is evidence of an atrocity," the column states, citing as examples the death of one child from bronchitis and another by lightning.

The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation documented the deaths of at least 4,200 Indigenous children over the course of 165 years at Canada's residential schools. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada defined the deaths and widespread abuses within residential schools as cultural genocide.

The publication of the column four days after the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation led to a formal statement of condemnation from the Southern Chiefs' Organization, which represents 33 Anishinaabe and Dakota First Nations in Manitoba.

"Survivors and their families should not be forced, yet again, to prove what happened to them or defend the children who never came home," SCO Grand Chief Jerry Daniels said in a statement. "Thousands of children died while attending residential schools. Children were forcibly removed from their families and Nations, stripped of their languages and cultures, and subjected to systems of abuse, neglect and assimilation. 

"These are not allegations or political talking points. They are part of Canada's documented historical record."

Grand Chief Jerry Daniels is seen in a file photo. The SCO leader condemned the Winnipeg Sun article on Sunday. (Justin Fraser/CBC)The co-author of a book about residential school denialism called the column disgusting because, he said, it perpetuates the notion the deaths of thousands of children who were forcibly removed from their families is less horrific because many died of disease, malnutrition and neglect as opposed to murder.

"A lot of people will say, oh, it was just tuberculosis. Lots of kids died of tuberculosis in the early 20th century," said University of Manitoba history professor Sean Carleton, the co-author of Truth Before Reconciliation: Confronting Residential School Denialism.

"That, in fact, is true, except for the fact that, you know what spreads tuberculosis faster? Overcrowding, poor nutrition. Lack of proper sanitation, overwork. All of these issues that were known to be systemic to the residential school system."

Carleton said the column perpetuates what he describes as far-right misinformation about First Nations making claims about mass graves or clandestine murders.

"This is a distraction tactic. It's an attempt to move the goalposts, to make it extremely difficult for Indigenous nations, to explain the complicated nuanced understanding of what we already know, thanks to church and state records, that at least 4,000 children died in these institutions for a variety of different reasons," he said.

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As criticism of the column mounted Sunday, the editor-in-chief of the Klein Group, the company that owns the Winnipeg Sun, dug in her heels. Heather Klein defended the column in a followup entitled "Disagreement is not denial."

The Southern Chiefs' Organization also criticized her husband, Klein Group CEO Kevin Klein, the candidate who is running for Winnipeg mayor.

Daniels called it "deeply concerning" someone seeking public office provided a platform for someone to use residential schools and the deaths of First Nations children as the basis for political commentary. 

"Winnipeg is home to a large and vibrant First Nations population. Anyone asking to lead this city has a responsibility to understand the history of residential schools and the ongoing responsibilities of reconciliation," Daniels said.

Kevin Klein said in a statement he is not responsible for the content of the Winnipeg Sun while he runs for mayor.

"From the day I entered the race for mayor, I stepped away from every editorial decision at the Winnipeg Sun, and I have kept that commitment. The paper stands on its own," the mayoral candidate said.

Kevin Klein speaks during an Oct. 2 campaign announcement. He said in a statement he is not responsible for the content of the Winnipeg Sun while he runs for mayor. (Prabhjot Singh Lotey/CBC)Heather Klein alone is responsible for the content, he said, adding he does not assign stories, edit copy, approve pieces or stop them from running. 

"Any suggestion otherwise is reckless and without foundation," he said.

Several mayoral candidates also criticized the newspaper CEO-turned-candidate.

Mayoral candidate Noah Redden said in a statement there is a difference between upholding freedom of speech and tolerating hate speech. 

Redden called residential school denialism inflammatory and said Klein needs to explain to Winnipeg's Indigenous population why his newspaper echoed attacks on residential school survivors.

Incumbent mayoral candidate Scott Gillingham told reporters Sunday he's spoken to enough Indigenous families in Winnipeg to hear first-hand the impact of residential schools.

"What is not deniable in my mind is the impact, the lasting, devastating impact of residential schools on our country," said Gillingham, who attended TRC Day events in an official capacity on Wednesday.

Klein said Friday he did not attend TRC Day events but called the national holiday important.

"Canadians ought to know what took place in the residential school system and what it has meant for Indigenous families and communities ever since," Klein said Sunday in a statement. 

"The wrongs of the past should not be forgotten. As a father and a grandfather, I cannot begin to imagine the pain those families carry."

Bartley Kives joined CBC Manitoba in 2016. Prior to that, he spent three years at the Winnipeg Sun and then 18 at the Winnipeg Free Press, writing about politics, music, food and outdoor recreation. He's the author of three books — two of them Canadian bestsellers — and the winner of a Canadian Screen Award for reporting.