Quesnel City Council. Image Credit: City of Quesnel

By Adam Berls

quesnel

‘This is hate’: Reaction in Quesnel to controversial book distribution by Mayor’s wife

Mar 22, 2024 | 4:44 PM

QUESNEL — There is controversy in the city of the Quesnel this week as it was discovered that the Mayor of Quesnel’s wife was distributing a book that essentially questions the existence of residential schools and is now causing pain for residential school survivors, and anger among other civic leaders.

Mayor Ron Paull’s wife, Pat Morton, was distributing a book titled Grave Error: How the Media Misled Us And the Truth About Residential Schools, which downplays the history of residential schools in Canada, and implies cultural genocide did not occur at residential schools. And with these actions, it is evident, that this has caused pain for residential school survivors like Elder Terry Boucher.

“It’s a kick towards Aboriginal people because we have suffered. To hear that someone say that we did not suffer … believe me we suffered.” – Elder Terry Boucher, Residential School Survivor and Former Chief of Lhtako Dene Nation

During the March 19 council meeting, Mayor Ron Paull said he’s never even opened the book but has not condemned his wife’s actions and is instead urging everyone to respect and welcome each other’s views. The Mayor did defend himself by listing some of the accomplishments made when it comes to reconciliation during his time on council. He said those include appointing the city’s first Indigenous Relations Liaison and voting unanimously in favour of the renaming of Ceal Tingley Park to Lhtako Dene Park when he was a councillor.

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The Lhtako Dene Nation strongly rebuked the actions of the Mayor’s wife, in a letter to city council, and the Chief of Lhtako Dene says that this is a blow to reconciliation, and is unnecessarily putting survivors through pain and asked “why would someone do something like this [that’s] so hurtful to our survivors?”

“This is hate and I hate to say that, but that’s what it is. And it’s putting our survivors through this again.” – Chief Clifford Lebrun, Lhtako Dene Nation

Letter from Lhtako Dene Nation to Quesnel City Council. Image credit: Lhtako Dene Nation

Quesnel city councillor Tony Goulet’s parents received a copy of Grave Errror: How the Media Misled Us And the Truth About Residential Schools from the Mayor’s wife after getting their taxes done from her. Goulet’s father is residential school survivor. He also called the book “one sided” and traumatizing to read.

Councillor Laurey-Anne Roodenburg said that:

“It just makes me really angry that we have a community member that is doing this without any regard to the fact that her husband is the Mayor of this community. What she does reflects on him, reflects on council and reflects on the community as a whole.”

We reached out to Mayor Ron Paull to see if he wanted to speak with CKPG News on this issue, but he was unavailable for comment on Friday.

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X: @AdamBerls

Email: Adam.Berls@pattisonmedia.com