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OneBC Party leader Dallas Brodie advocated for the removal of Truth and Reconciliation Day as a holiday last week, expressing a proud, unrepentant view of Canadian history and nation-building. Her commentary also includes a separate discussion of a successful First Nations leader, Ellis Ross, who advocates for self-reliance and independence from government dependency.

Brodie's bill proposed removing Truth and Reconciliation Day as a holiday, arguing that it "celebrates the greatest lie in Canadian history," referring to the disputed discovery of 215 bodies at the Kamloops Indian Residential School.

Key Points from Brodie's Argument:

• Rejects "Genocide": Brodie denies that "Canadians ever have committed a genocide."
• Pride in Nation: She argues the holiday should celebrate Canada's creation from "untamed wilderness" rather than "shame Canadians for building a civilization."
• No Reconciliation Needed: Brodie asserts, "We have no regrets, nothing to reconcile for and no apologies to give because we did nothing wrong. Settling and building Canada was great and we're proud of it."
• Celebrate Achievements: She highlights Canadian historical achievements (War of 1812, World Wars, inventions like the telephone and insulin, ending slavery, "brought peace to warring tribes") and concludes, "We're proud to have brought indigenous people with us into the modern age and formed Canada together. Instead of gilding our nation, let's celebrate it."

Drea Humphrey reported on the immediate backlash to Brodie's speech, which included a Green Party letter to the House Speaker and calls for resignation from the Kamloops chief over "racist rhetoric." Humphrey defended Brodie, arguing the speech was not racist but conceded it overlooked issues like residential school underfunding. The core message is that Brodie highlighted positive, often-ignored Canadian history.

The discussion shifts to a clip featuring Ellis Ross, a "highly successful Conservative MP" and former chief counselor for the Haisla Nation. Ross offers a model of reconciliation based on self-determination, contrasting it with the "manufactured victimhood" narrative.

Key Points from Ellis Ross:

• Self-Reliance over Government Aid: Ross was raised by parents who went to residential school, sent by their own parents. He was taught "to be independent, not to ask for any help," and initially refused to go to Ottawa to ask for money.
• Economic Independence: Ross focused on economic development to get his people out of poverty and make the council an independent government working model, rendering the Indian Act "less and less relevant."
• Embracing Change: His message to other First Nations is: "You got to know what you want. And ultimately, if you do want independence, you do want a future for your kids... you're going to have to embrace change."
• Freedom from Dependency: The success means the younger generation doesn't know "what it's like to be on welfare like I know how or what it's like to collect unemployment insurance annually."

Drea suggests Ross’s message—self-reliance and freedom from government control—mirrors Brodie’s push to empower Indigenous people beyond the current reconciliation model. The piece ends by implying the CBC excludes Ross because his message of independence contradicts the media’s preferred narrative of victimhood.