While donning orange shirts, Sechelt council compelled Mayor John Henderson not to engage with shíshálh Nation as a representative of the municipality, following receipt of a letter from the First Nation.
On Sept. 25, council appointed acting mayor (essentially deputy mayor) Brenda Rowe as Indigenous relations liaison, to “help build constructive relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities” and improve the relationship between the Nation and district council. The mayor is to “disengage and not correspond with shíshálh Nation as a representative of the District of Sechelt” and that includes, but is not limited to, attending nation events or gatherings and meeting with nation council on district business.
While he said he would abide by the will of council, Henderson called the motion a “blind side” and a “poor choice.” He said he would continue to reach out to friends and maintain relations.
The resolution arose as Sechelt council received two letters from the shíshálh Nation council: one thanking Sechelt council for standing with the Nation and survivors of residential schools, the second denouncing Henderson for not rejecting residential school denialism and calling for him to “step aside.”
In early September, Sechelt council endorsed a Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) resolution, “Rejection of Residential School Denialism,” without the support of the mayor, Henderson saying he wanted to engage in “dialogue.”
In their letter, the Nation told the mayor to direct all future communications through his councillor colleagues.
At the Sept. 25 meeting, Henderson reiterated that he is not a residential school denier and that he does not intend to step aside. “I acknowledge, and have always acknowledged a tremendous trauma and worse for some students and their families, and that this has had very serious impacts on their children and grandchildren.”
Henderson said this issue is driving people apart and he’s inviting former elected shíshálh hiwus (chief) Garry Feschuk and former Sechelt mayor Cam Reid to continue their work with the syiyaya Reconciliation Movement.
Henderson said it was “puzzling” that no one has asked him his views of the book Grave Error, “Just having it in my possession is all people need it seems to defame me. These are sad times indeed when having a book substitutes for having a dialogue about what is in the book.”
Coun. Brenda Rowe said the “gaslighting” needs to stop. “This is not about us telling anyone what they can and can't read,” she told Henderson, “This letter comes as a result of your decision to not support the [UBCIC] resolution.
“This isn't about censorship. This is about the fact that, yes, you had the book, you brought it into municipal hall, you talked with staff about it and thought we should all read it,” said Rowe.
Coun. Dianne McLauchlan pointed out, “You did not ever say that you didn't agree with [Grave Error]. And when you did not support the [Sept. 4] resolution, that apparently speaks volumes to a lot of people, especially to our First Nations neighbors, friends and in a sense, family.”
“I have no problem with people who want to research the facts,” said Coun. Donna Bell. “Nor do I have any judgment around those who want to choose to read this book. What I have a problem with is the impact this book is having on the emotional well being of our First Nations community at this very point of time.
“You've broken the trust of our First Nations community, and at this time when we have been coming together as a community, walking together, and I feel your poor judgment will divide rather than unite,” said Bell. “And the one principle I have always believed in as a leader is that great leaders unite and weak leaders divide.”
Toth said he has no intention of reading the book and “anybody wants to read it, they can read it.”
“But for the mayor to double down on it on September 4, when given an opportunity to acknowledge that maybe it wasn't appropriate to bring in the municipal hall, is astounding,” said Toth. “Our staff shouldn't have to deal with that. It should not be part of the municipal government landscape in the least.”
Asked during question period how the mayor’s actions have affected councillors’ ability to move forward with reconciliation, councillors reiterated their commitment to reconciliation but acknowledged that a trust has been broken.
The Nation council called councillors in to give them notice that the letter would be coming forward, said Coun. Adam Shepherd. (Henderson was apparently unaware this had happened.) “I was very moved by their expression about what a break in trust it's been,” he said. “I recognize that reconciliation moves forward and it moves backwards, and this has just been a time when it's moved backwards.”
“I work in health care. I work in the land of all sorts of clients and patients around me having trauma responses,” said Rowe. “For me, that's the hardest thing, was seeing the effect of this.”
While some may call it a minor incident and wonder why it’s become such a big deal, “it’s not a minor incident for this community,” said Rowe. “The trauma that I saw sitting at that meeting will stay with me.”
“You can see it on their faces that they're worried about the whole reconciliation piece, and that's a bit heartbreaking for me, because they've worked so hard, not that we haven't as well. But this is their story. This is their truth. They have moved this forward, and I hate to be part of the cause that leads them to doubting that, which also just factors into the trauma that they're feeling even talking about it again.”
The vote was six to one to install Rowe as Indigenous relations liason.
