THE Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) said in a statement on Monday that it is appalled by recent comments made by B.C. Conservative MLA Dallas Brodie on X, which allege that the number of confirmed child burials at former Kamloops Indian Residential School is zero.

The UBCIC called on her to apologize for promoting abhorrent rhetoric which minimizes the harms of residential schools and for misleading and emboldening the public against Indigenous people.

The UBCIC said it is deeply concerned by the rise of residential school denialism promoted by elected officials, often under the guise of freedom of speech or ‘truth seeking’ which intentionally overlook or distort critical facts. In June 2024, UBCIC passed Resolution 2024-33 which rejects residential school denialism and dissemination of racist misinformation and calls for all levels of government and the public to uphold the testimony of residential school survivors and for implementation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 Calls to Action.

First Nations across the country continue to carry out rigorous investigations into former residential school sites, despite recent funding cuts by the federal government to an expert committee designed to support this crucial work. the UBCIC noted.

Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, UBCIC President, said: “The comments made by Ms. Brodie are deeply disturbing, and ignore the ample physical, archival, and testimonial evidence which detail horrific human rights abuses and atrocities against Indigenous peoples at residential schools. Racist denialist rhetoric from those who feel threatened by the truth about Canada and the Churches’ crimes against Indigenous peoples at residential schools come as no surprise; however, for someone in an elected position and holding the important role of Attorney General Critic to deny well-documented facts and misrepresent the truth to the public in this way is beyond troubling.”

Philip said: “This type of ‘truth-seeking’ rhetoric is nothing more than a smokescreen for anti-Indigenous racism. Ms. Brodie’s picking and choosing of which facts to scrutinize is a misuse of her power in public office and demonstrates her bias and a profound disrespect for survivors of residential schools. There are many critical issues facing our Province worthy of her attention, rather than dissecting the traumas and lived experience of Indigenous peoples. UBCIC calls for Ms. Brodie to issue an immediate public apology to survivors of residential schools and to educate herself about abuses that occurred at residential schools, including the harrowing loss of innocent lives.”

UBCIC encourages the public to access residential schools resources:

• Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Reports
• Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 Calls to Action
• Independent Special Interlocutor for Missing Children and Unmarked Graves and Burial Sites associated with Indian Residential Schools Final Report
• Oscar-Nominated documentary Sugarcane