FEATURED COMMENT – Why the double standard based on ethnic background?

We understand clearly the injustices and inhumane treatment done to First Nations at the hands of the Crown. We treated these people terribly. We owe them the dignity and respect of closing the loop and making amends. We do not owe them the lowering of basic standards like evidence, facts and truth.

Demanding proof and transparency does not undermine our understanding of our cruel history. Recall the claimed goals of Truth and Reconciliation? Truth isn’t a one-way street. But in this case it’s a one-way conversation from a party that clearly knows they severely overstepped on this issue and listened to a reconciliation industry far more concerned about narratives than rigorous evidence.

I am concerned with the truth and facts above everything else. Full stop. Nothing can ever be above that. The mental gymnastics being performed to give a pass on this simple concept central to democracies to a particular ethnic group is frankly disgusting. No one is above the truth. No one is about the facts. The same people railing against Trump’s lies are the same ones willing to accept untruths provided they come from someone or some group aligned with their tribal worldview. Anyone claiming you’re a racist denialist for asking questions and demanding truth is a bigger threat to our way of life than anything in generations.

How does history excuse the deflection, obfuscation, millions of taxpayer funds issued for one purpose that is not being fulfilled, and the substantial public interest of understand the facts after claims of mass child graves sent shockwaves around the world? All of this doesn’t discount or somehow absolve the individuals making these claims from proving them. If your standard of evidence is “just trust me”, you have no business being critical of this council. We live in a rules-based society. People died for that. For the very things and principles some people are attempting to take from us. In this country, we don’t just take claims of atrocities based on flimsy evidence and PR stunts to conform to a narrative. This claim demands evidence to either confirm or deny. We should all be seeking the proof that this did or did not happen.

You would hold Kamloops council responsible for irresponsible spending and undemocratic spending of tax dollars. You would hold council accountable for telling you to “just trust us” when you submit a FOI. You demand a say over AAPs. You are demanding truth (a public mandate for those spends) yet impose no demand for the 215.

Why the double standard based only on ethnic background? You want to talk about racism, isn’t that the definition of racism? I don’t recall the definition of racism including asking questions and demanding rigorous evidence when atrocities are claimed.

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