Legal scholar says Canada 'absolutely' exists on stolen Indigenous land despite Trudeau sidestepping question
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau did not provide a clear answer when asked Monday if he believes Canada exists on stolen Indigenous land – but a legal scholar says the answer is obvious.
“Absolutely,” said Sylvia McAdam, a law professor at the University of Windsor who is from nēhīyaw Nation in Saskatchewan. "It wouldn't be to their benefit to admit it outright, though."
CTV News put the question to Trudeau after a group of boisterous singers and drummers chanted “Canada is all Indian land!” as he made his way into the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc Powwow Arbour to mark the one year anniversary of the confirmation of 215 suspected unmarked graves at the site of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School.
"Canada is a country that consists of Indigenous people who've been here for millennia who welcomed in settlers, in some cases, and were overrun by settlers in others,” Trudeau said in his response.
McAdam said Europeans claimed what is now called Canada under the Doctrine of Discovery, a series of decrees from 15th century popes that granted them the right to so-called ‘undiscovered’ lands.
"It's more accurate to call them invaders because they came here specifically looking for land and resources and gold and riches,” she said of early settlers.
One of the 94 Calls to Action that came from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission calls on Canada to “Repudiate concepts used to justify European sovereignty over Indigenous lands and peoples such as the Doctrine of Discovery.”
The United Nations has also called on all nations to reject the Doctrine of Discovery and similar decrees.
"The non-Indigenous people are here to stay. They've developed a human right to be here,” said McAdam. “So that brings the conversation to what is the reparation and compensation for Indigenous peoples."
It’s not clear if that’s a conversation Trudeau or the federal government is willing to have.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.