Quesnel city council is censuring Mayor Ron Paull for, according to council, “his role in role in jeopardizing Indigenous relations with Lhtako Dene Nation and surrounding Indigenous communities.”
The censure stems from Paull’s actions in distributing/promoting the book Grave Error: How the Media Misled Us (and the Truth about Residential Schools. The book, written by former federal Conservative cabinet minister Tom Flanagan, claims that after the announcement by the T’kemlups First Nation of the discovery of unmarked graves at Kamloops, many politicians, Indigenous leaders, and media have “thrown aside balance, restraint, and caution, turning truth into a casualty.”
According to a report to Quesnel city council:
- The mayor was informed by Councillor Roodenburg and Deputy CAO Bolton on March 7, 2024 that his wife was distributing the book, and that this was upsetting for the Lhtako Dene members because of the position it expresses dismissing the traumas and atrocities of residential schools.
- On March 15, 2024 the mayor was informed by CAO Johnson that the Lhtako Dene band leadership were very upset about the distribution of the book by the mayor’s wife, and that they were considering sending a letter to council.
- During the council meeting of March 19, 2024 Paull confirmed that his wife was the person that Lhtako Dene Nation charged with distributing the book. Paull stated that he had seen the book at his home but had not opened the book.
- During the April 2, 2024 council meeting it was reported, and later confirmed by the Quesnel Observer, that the mayor himself attempted to distribute the book at a Cariboo Regional District meeting at which he was representing the city. His attempts were declined.
On April 18, the city and mayor received a band council resolution from the Lhtako Dene Nation, saying they will not work with Mayor Ron Paull, and the Nation prohibits Mayor Ron Paull from entering Nation lands, unless he is specifically invited.
Quesnel city council’s censure of Paull contains the following provisions.
- Removal of travel & lobbying budgets
- Removal from Organizations that require Council approval, including:
- Cariboo Regional District representation
- Northern Development Initiative Trust
- Removal from City Committees (except Standing Committees)
- Removal from Indigenous relations
- Required ‘sincere’ apology
3 thoughts on “Quesnel council censures Mayor Ron Paull over book distribution”
It sounds to me that the Latakia Dene may be afraid of some of the truth coming out of the book. Have they in fact read it? There is always more to every story.. Every statement in the book is backed by reference point that can be researched. The book makes points that are not in line with the indigenous view and they feel threatened by words of truth. Seems to me that other people in history were afraid of words and asked for books to be burned. Freedom of the press I say.
All the reference points were written by deniers that these atrocities happened. Look. My parents spoke in whispers about the schools and my mom was in one and suffered.she is 93 years old, a devote Catholic and your b oom is calling her a liar. I hope there is a God who sees this utter ignorance of you people and puts some karma in your path. You and your kind disgust me with your arrogance. Your brains .. omg..are just not able to see what really happened. You’re like sheep. You can’t imagine these things happening to us because they would never happen to you. Please do us all a favor and don’t procreate…don’t add to your families. Your like akin to hillbilly thinking and trump. I just can’t even…. ugh
It is blatantly obvious that none of Quesnel’s city council nor any of the Lhtako Dene band leadership have read the book. They don’t have a clue what’s in it.