ABSTRACT
The evening of June 21, 2024, I made a comment citing the opinion of a retired University of Manitoba anthropology professor that “Indian Residential School (IRS) children are not missing, were never subject to genocide, and are not buried in individual and mass graves as claimed in recent years”, at the Town’s Facebook page in response to the Administration’s announcement of June 21st being recognized as National Indigenous Peoples Day. I subsequently, contacted the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Mike Derricott and two other members of the Administration’s Senior Management Team asking them who had removed my post and why. I never received a reply from any of them despite the Administration’s declared corporate value of “Open communication”, whereby “We communicate openly, respectfully and promptly”. I recently found that my so-called ‘offensive’ post had been restored, but I never received a notification of such.
FULL BLOG
The evening of June 21, 2024, I made a comment (below) citing the opinion of a retired University of Manitoba anthropology professor at the Town’s Facebook page in response to the Administration’s announcement of June 21st being recognized as National Indigenous Peoples Day and inviting the town to join in the celebration at the town Station.
By the next morning that comment on the town’s Facebook page was removed by someone from the town’s Administration, who presumably did not like such a comment! On Monday, June 24, 2024 I sent a note to the town’s Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), Mike Derricott asking him who removed the comment and why. After waiting a week and receiving no reply, I asked the same question of Mr. Drew Hyndman, Executive Director, Development & Infrastructure Services in a July 2, 2024 email. I waited a week and again no reply was received. As there was no indication that they were out of the office, I presume that they refused to answer my query. Rather disappointing with respect to Mr. Hyndman as in the past I found him to be rather prompt and forthright with respect to any queries directed to him.
On July 8, 2024, I then sent the same query on to Ms. Stacey Loe, Executive Director, Corporate Services. Again, no reply was received. So much for the Administration’s declared corporate value of “Open communication”, whereby “We communicate openly, respectfully and promptly”. Disappointingly, instead, I experienced stonewalling, tantamount to passive aggressive behaviour, by these members of the Administration’s Senior Management Team.
That the Town Administration would remove the comment which I made at the Town’s Facebook page, doesn’t necessarily come as a surprise.
For example, with the first announcement by the chief of the Tk’emlups te Secwepemc First Nation on May 27, 2021 that “preliminary findings” by means of ground penetrating radar (GPR) had located the “remains of 215 children” at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School, a few days later, on May 31, 2021 the Town Administration posted a News Flash, “Town of Cochrane mourns residential school children”, at the town’s website declaring “The Town of Cochrane has lowered flags to half-mast in recognition of the 215 children whose lives were taken at the former Kamloops residential school.” Noteworthy that Prime Minster Justin Trudeau set the tone for the public response by declaring in a tweet on May 30, 2021 upon ordering Canadian Flags to be flown half-mast on all federal buildings to honour the “215 children whose lives were taken at the former Kamloops residential school” (note the exact same wording as used by the town Administration).
On June 12th, 2021, I sent a note to Mayor Genung, pointing out that the reference to their “lives were taken”, mimicking the words of Justin Trudeau, could clearly be understood to mean that if indeed there were buried children uncovered by GPR, the implication was that they died because of foul play for which there was absolutely no evidence. I asked him to please share my thoughts with the department or whoever was responsible for preparing this communication. I also suggested that the Town follow the sage advice of Candice Malcom, founder of True North Media, advising “before politicians jump to enacting policy conclusions, we should wait for the official report to be released.” I challenged the Town about its choice of such intemperate language, “lives were taken” in that news report posted at the Town’s web site. Ms. Kristin Huybrecht, Manager of Intergovernmental Relations and Corporate Communications, responded that they were satisfied that such a choice of words was appropriate, because the adviser to the Town’s Equity & Inclusion Committee was satisfied with that choice of words. That adviser, likely the indigenous adviser Gloria Snow, has referred to the finding of the unmarked grave sites as “atrocities”. With such an inflammatory unsubstantiated claim she is hardly a reputable honest authority to rely upon. I asked Mayor Genung to instruct the Communications Department to alter that choice of wording. They did no such thing and by early July, the News Flash was no longer posted on the Town’s website, with the explanation given that some News Flash items are time sensitive, and this particular posting was set to expire on July 1, 2021. However, that post still remains today at the town’s Facebook page:
Following upon Justin Trudeau’s creation of a federal statutory holiday, National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, for federal civil servants through legislative amendments made by Parliament through Bill C-5, which received Royal Assent on June 3, 2021, despite Alberta not declaring it to be a stat holiday for Albertans, our Town Administration, nonetheless, decided to take the day off with pay, making such a ‘sacrifice’, dipping into the taxes residents pay to the Town, so that they could virtue signal about their commitment to Truth and Reconciliation. In an Editorial appearing on September 30, the Cochrane Eagle came to the defense of the Town Administration, assuring us that “Truth and Reconciliation not another day off”. In other words, don’t believe what you see. To some degree the position of the Cochrane Eagle, siding with the Town’s woke Administration, is understandable in that the Cochrane Eagle receives some income from the Town from publishing Town notices and information as well as being the recipient of bailouts from the Trudeau government. This year, the 4th year of Trudeau’s declaration of a National Day for Truth and Reconciliation to take place on September 30th, the Town Administration organized a series of events and actions and, once again, included a decision to “Close all municipal facilities to allow staff time to reflect and learn about the history and legacy of residential schools”. Not surprising as Cochrane’s municipal government generally marches to the tune of Justin Trudeau, despite the town electing a member of the conservative Party of Canada, Blake Richards, to represent it at the federal parliament in Ottawa and electing a member of the United Conservative Party, Peter Guthrie, to represent it at the provincial legislature in Edmonton. The globalists, embracing the UN’s Agenda 2030 and its sustainable development goals, with their strategy of “Think Global, Act Local” or “Global Action Starts Locally” has succeeded in capturing virtually every town, village and city.
Today I decided to check to check the June 21, 2024 Facebook post related to the National Indigenous Peoples Day and lo and behold my comment was backup, but surprised no one I had contacted from the Senior Management Team had advised me of such. I had also provided a comment as follows with respect to the Facebook post related to Trudeau’s declared federal statutory holiday, National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on September 30, 2024: “Not unexpected, following Trudeau’s lead for federal employees; not a declared stat holiday in Alberta. As pointed out by Cory Morgan with the Western Standard, ‘Body count at Kamloops Residential School remains at zero. A truth for tomorrow’s ‘truth’ and reconciliation day.” This was as much a test to determine if they would continue to censor views they did not like. In this case they left the post up but I did receive a snarky comment that I was a “tool” in response from one of the town’s supporters. Perhaps my recent post prompted them to restore the comment that I had made on June 21, 2024.
The bottom line, it is troubling that the Town Administration had decided what is acceptable speech and censored an opinions it does not like, presumably guided by what our prime minister refers to as “unacceptable views” that conflict with his progressive vision. A free and open exchange of ideas is not to be tolerated by our woke Administration.
Several days before the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on September 30th, NDP MP Leah Gazan presented a private member’s bill that would amend “hate speech” provisions of the Code to outlaw any public remarks “condoning, denying, downplaying or justifying the Indian Residential School system in Canada or by misrepresenting facts related to it” under threat of two years in jail. Given the attitude revealed by our town Administration with respect to a free and open exchange of ideas, one expects that they would heartily endorse the bill put forward by the NDP MP.
“Speak up for freedom of speech, not just for you but for everyone else, especially those with whom you disagree. Although the forces arrayed against speech are formidable, do not despair. Their censorship will be their everlasting shame. Your defense of freedom of speech will be to your everlasting credit. It may be the most important thing you ever do.”
~ Philip Hamburger, Professor of Law, Columbia University