Political Theory

H19(a) - Justice and Punishment in Liberal Societies

Date: Jun 5 | Time: 01:45pm to 03:15pm | Location: SJA-611

Chair/Président/Présidente : Jim Farney (Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy, University of Regina)

Criminalizing 'Residential School Denialism': What are the Political and Academic Implications?: Frances Widdowson (Frontier Centre for Public Policy)
Abstract: In September 2024, NDP Member of Parliament (Winnipeg Centre), Leah Gazan, tabled a Private Member’s Bill – Bill C-413 - in the House of Commons to amend the Criminal Code. Its purpose was “to create an offence of wilfully promoting hatred against Indigenous peoples by condoning, denying, downplaying or justifying the Indian residential school system in Canada through statements communicated other than in private conversation”. This paper will examine the political and economic forces that created the conditions for the tabling of this bill. It will argue that this decision is the result of “truth and reconciliation” processes that have been unfolding for the last 15 years, as well as the prominence of diversity, inclusion and equity initiatives in many Canadian institutions. These processes and initiatives, this paper will show, are connected to the relativization of the concept of “truth” and the demand that the identities of oppressed groups be affirmed. Accepting these developments will have serious consequences for both freedom of expression in Canadian society and the ability of political scientists to rigorously analyze the claims being made about the residential schools.