Indigenous leaders in Canada advocate for criminalising residential school denialism

Prominent Indigenous leaders and residential school survivors in Canada are calling on the federal government to officially label residential school denialism as hate speech. Former Northwest Territories (N.W.T.) senator and premier Nick Sibbeston, along with former N.W.T. premier Stephen Kakfwi, are among those supporting new efforts to criminalise the downplaying of historical harms perpetrated against Indigenous children. On July 22, 2026, Sibbeston, now 83, shared the ongoing personal impact of his six years within the residential school system, describing the denial or misrepresentation of these experiences as a significant further harm. The call for legislative change follows a narrow failure in the Senate last June for an amendment to Bill C-9, the Combatting Hate Act. That amendment, proposed by Nunavut Senator Nancy Karetak-Lindell, sought to align protections for Indigenous people with existing laws that criminalise Holocaust denial. According to experts cited by CBC News, residential school denialism involves the excusing or misrepresenting of facts regarding a church-run, state-funded system that saw approximately 150,000 Indigenous children removed from their families. Senator Karetak-Lindell argued that denialism is a tactic used to undermine truth and promote hatred. Her proposal was supported by survivors' testimonies and a resolution from the Assembly of First Nations. While the Senate amendment was previously voted down due to concerns over a lack of legal consultation, momentum for the change remains strong. The Assembly of First Nations passed an emergency resolution last week, and a private members bill is currently heading for its second reading in the House of Commons. Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations Rebecca Alty acknowledged the seriousness of the issue, noting that she has heard consistent concerns from Indigenous leaders regarding the impact of denialism on their communities.