NDP MP Introduces Bill to Criminalize Residential School Denialism

The proposed legislation aims to protect survivors and their families from hate by adding residential school denialism to the Criminal Code.

Bill C-413 would make it a criminal offence to condone, justify, or downplay the impact of residential schools.
NDP MP Leah Gazan emphasizes the need for the government to protect Indigenous communities as part of reconciliation efforts.
More than 150,000 Indigenous children were forced to attend residential schools, with an estimated 6,000 deaths, though the actual number could be higher.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission documented widespread physical and sexual abuse in these institutions.
Métis National Council president Cassidy Caron supports the bill, highlighting the harm denialism causes to survivors and their descendants.