Mr. Robert Thibeau, CD
President,
Aboriginal Veterans Autochtones
1201 Atkinson Street
Kingston, ON K7P 0E1
This is an open letter,
The RCMP Veterans Association recently published an opinion letter on their website called “My Canada – is it Your Canada?” authored by Iwona Mooney. This letter was subsequently removed after being exposed by APTN as a prime example of the racist attitudes and prejudice which are still held by some RCMP veterans and members.
AVA’s first reaction was to be appalled and infuriated. The AVA Executive took a few days to research what happened before responding, because we wanted to avoid a knee jerk reaction.
We learned that this piece was published on the RCMP National Veterans’ Association website on July 7, at least a week after it was written, as the article starts with the words “July 1 is just around the corner.”
We learned that retired RCMP sergeant Bruce Pitt-Payne, a non-Indigenous man, reported the article to APTN, whose news coverage states that Bruce ‘became alarmed at the “absolute gross misrepresentation” of what the residential schools were meant to do to Indigenous communities in Canada.’
The APTN coverage quoted Bruce as saying “It was minimized to being institutions of education as opposed to the oppression that came out in Truth and Reconciliation Commission,” he said. “I was extremely offended by phrases such as get on with life and stop dwelling on it.”
After APTN published their July 9 article “RCMP Veterans’ Association post says ‘get on with life,’ move on from residential schools” the opinion piece was removed from the National RCMP Veterans’ Association website, but remained available on the RCMP Veterans’ Association Vancouver website for a while longer.
On July 13, the Communications Director for the National RCMP Veterans’ Association published a Statement regarding the original opinion article https://rcmpva.org/statement-regarding-the-opinion-article-my-canada-is-it-your-canada/
While we understand the difference between an opinion piece and an article written by a member of an Executive, we are disappointed by how the RCMP Veterans’ Association handled this entire matter. The RCMP Veterans’ Association may not have “solicited nor endorsed” the opinion piece, however they could have declined to publish it.
Publishing this opinion piece seems to us to be a poor judgement call, particularly given the RCMPs role in removing children from Indigenous families and bringing them to Residential schools.
On May 19, 2004, Giuliano Zaccardelli, then Canada’s Commissioner for the RCMP apologized to First Nations communities for the “personal pain and distress” of abuse during the time that Indigenous children were forced into residential schools and stripped of their culture. He said “That is the history that cannot be forgotten but must be overcome.”
Publishing this opinion piece, which some of the RCMP Veterans’ Association’s own members were appalled by, shows a poor understanding of the grief that many people in Canada, from all backgrounds, are experiencing as more unmarked graves are being found and reported.
We don’t feel it’s necessary to reiterate the finding of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) of Canada. Although we have included a link https://nctr.ca/ to the TRC findings and Calls to Action for those who have not yet read them, or who feel in need of a refresher.
We urge all veterans in Canada to take a close look at the historical facts that are coming to light and the impact this attempted genocide has had on generations of Indigenous peoples and communities.
We need all of people in Canada to stand shoulder to shoulder to heal the wounds of the past and then and only then can we move forward, together for a better life for all.
AVA is calling for leaders at all levels of veterans’ associations and organizations supporting veterans in Canada to step up and be mindful of the climate we’re living in.
We’re calling on leaders to understand and accept the consequences, albeit sometimes unintended consequences, of publishing inflammatory materials.
We’ve all served Canada, we know we can do better. We call on you as leaders, to join the fight against systemic racism in Canada.
President & Members of AVA
