Residential School Survivor challenged when he compared experience to the Holocaust
NDP candidate compares residential schools to Holocaust
Apr. 20, 2011
The former Chief of the FSIN and NDP candidate in the province's most northern federal riding has some people asking questions over his comparison of the Indian residential school system to the Holocaust of the Second World War.
During the question period at All-Candidates Forum for Desnethe-Missinippi-Churchill River riding on Tuesday night in Meadow Lake, Joseph attacked the Conservative party record on providing for aboriginal communities and their residents, many of whom are residential school survivors.
In his response, Joseph referred to himself as a "survivor of the residential school Holocaust." The remark prompted an audience member to ask Joseph to clarify what he meant, adding he thought the comparison was inappropriate.
Joseph spoke to CTV Saskatoon on the phone Wednesday afternoon. He says he doesn't want anyone to "marginalize" the residential school experience -- that is, the cultural, physical and sexual abuse that happened. However, he admits the Nazi Holocaust and the residential school system are different.
Yet Joseph still says they have some similarities.
"I do apologize if I offended anybody," said Joseph. " What we have to do as Canadians is articulate what happened in the early days that people, just because they're First Nations people -- that's the only crime -- if that's what you want to call it -- committed. And then they're arrested and thrown into camps where they're starved and beaten and sexually abused and you can go on and on and spiritual abuse and trying to 'beat the Indian out of the child.' No, it's not the same thing -- but what word can I use to articulate our solidarity with other people who have been so vastly mistreated by society?"
In response to Joseph's remarks, Conservative incumbent Rob Clarke issued a statement defending the Conservative track record with regard to "restoring the relationship" between the government and First Nations communities.
"I was very surprised to hear the comments made by NDP candidate Lawrence Joseph," said Clarke. "I am sympathetic to the residential school situation and I would like to point out that the previous Liberal government had 13 years to resolve this issue. Stephen Harper's Conservative government is the first government that has taken action to restore the relationship. Our Conservative government will continue to work toward this restoration."