Today, on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, we honour and remember the Indigenous children, families, and communities affected by Canada’s residential schools. It is a day for all Canadians to reflect on our history and commit ourselves to meaningful reconciliation.
However, recent events have cast a shadow on this commitment. On September 18, Toronto District School Board students participated in a field trip intended to educate them on the challenges faced by the Indigenous community in Grassy Narrows. Instead, they found themselves co-opted into an anti-Israel protest, now under investigation by the Ministry of Education.
In an opinion piece published yesterday in the National Post, ALCCA's honorary chair, Hon. Harry LaForme, along with Karen Restoule and Dr. Mark S. Dockstator, call out this troubling misuse of the Indigenous experience to promote a hateful political agenda. The authors emphasize how this act is not only inappropriate but also antithetical to Indigenous values and principles.
It is both sad and fitting that this piece comes on the eve of Truth and Reconciliation Day. On a day when all Canadians should be working towards reconciliation, we are instead reminded of the need to expose those who exploit such important causes for political indoctrination, rather than fostering true understanding and safety for our children.
Read the full article in the National Post.
About the Author
Mark Sandler, LL.B., LL.D. (honoris causa), ALCCA’s Chair, is widely recognized as one of Canada’s leading criminal lawyers and pro bono advocates. He has been involved in combatting antisemitism for over 40 years. He has lectured extensively on legal remedies to combat hate and has promoted respectful Muslim-Jewish, Sikh-Jewish and Black-Jewish dialogues. He has appeared before Parliamentary committees and in the Supreme Court of Canada on multiple occasions on issues relating to antisemitism and hate activities. He is a former member of the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal, a three-time elected Bencher of the Law Society of Ontario, and recipient of the criminal profession’s highest honour, the G. Arthur Martin Medal, for his contributions to the administration of criminal justice.