Indigenous leaders have written to the University of British Columbia, taking a stand against revisionist history downplaying the suffering of children in Canada's Residential School system.

The open letter from the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs to university president Dr. Benoit-Antoine Bacon from UBCIC president Grand Chief Stewart Phillip and Secretary-Treasurer Chief Marilyn Slett raised concerns about a Residential School denialist event held on campus.

Approximately 150,000 First Nations, Inuit and Métis children were sent to Canada's so-called Residential Schools in the 19th and 20th centuries as part of the assimilationist policies of federal and provincial authorities. Well over 1300 graves have been uncovered on the sites of former Residential Schools, leading to an apology by Pope Francis in 2022 over the role of the church in the system.

Indigenous leaders in Canada have warned against the proliferation of denialism with regards to the schools, including the circulation by a BC mayor's wife of a book which claims genocide did not occur at Residential Schools, and "questions the very existence of Residential Schools and their well-documented harms against Indigenous peoples".

In the face of denialism, Indigenous organisations have encouraged Canadian authorities to continue research into the impact of the schools.

On Monday, Grand Chief Phillip and Chief Slett urged Dr Bacon and the University of British Columbia to "have the courage to name these events for what they are, to call out racism, to demonstrate support for survivors and to promote credible fact-based information and resources on the well-documented history of Residential Schools in Canada".

OPEN LETTER: Indian Residential School Denialism Event at UBC

Dear President Bacon,

We are writing to express our concern and disappointment that, to our knowledge, the University of British Columbia (UBC) did not prohibit a Residential School denialism event which disrespectfully took place outside the Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre on January 22, 2026.

Residential School denialism proliferates under the guise of academic freedom and freedom of speech, and promotes white supremacy, racism, and misinformation which should not be permitted in public institutions.

On December 2, 2025, Frances Widdowson, Jim McMurtry and Dallas Brodie held a similar unsanctioned event at the University of Victoria (UVIC). UVIC Acting President Dr. Robina Thomas issued a public statement affirming that the event was not authorised and offered support to survivors. The publicly expressed views of Widdowson, McMurtry and Brodie have demonstrated a pattern of hate, duplicitous rhetoric and anti-Indigenous racism which has caused immense harm to Residential School survivors and intergenerational survivors. Academic institutions should be places of ethical inquiry, research, legitimate debate and knowledge production, not racism, bad faith arguments and hateful rhetoric.

The Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) stands with Residential School and intergenerational survivors. UBCIC Resolution 2024-33 "Rejection of Residential School Denialism" rejects all Residential School denialism and specifically the dissemination of racist misinformation put forward by the authors of Grave Error and perpetuated by members of the public and elected officials; and calls on all levels of government and the public to uphold survivors' testimony, to implement the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's 94 Calls to Action, to advance policies that acknowledge the harmful history of Residential Schools and to develop targeted education campaigns to counter denialism in the public and public sectors.

We call on UBC to have the courage to name these events for what they are, to call out racism, to demonstrate support for survivors and to promote credible fact-based information and resources on the well-documented history of Residential Schools in Canada.

We look forward to your response.

On behalf of the UNION OF BC INDIAN CHIEFS

Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, President

Chief Marilyn Slett, Secretary-Treasurer