Along comes Northwest Ontario Senator Lynn Beyak who had the temerity to tell the Senate that many good things happened in these schools and the largely religious staff were self-sacrificing well-meaning people. “I speak partly for the record, but mostly in memory of the kindly and well-intentioned men and women and their descendants — perhaps some of us here in this chamber — whose remarkable works, good deeds and historical tales in the residential schools go unacknowledged for the most part and are overshadowed by negative reports.” (National Post, April 7, 2017) Interestingly, many Indians agree that they were given a start in life and placed on the road to a rewarding career by the education they received in the residential schools, “In particular, she focused on statements made by Cree playwright Tomson Highway, who told the Huffington Post in 2015 that “I have a thriving international career, and it wouldn’t have happened without that school.” (National Post, March 20, 2017)

“Assembly of First Nations National Chief Perry Bellegarde has also called for Beyak to be removed from the committee.” Rona Ambrose, the interim leader of the Conservative Party hopped to the minority demand and promptly stabbed the knife into her fellow Tory and removed her from the Senate Aboriginal Affairs Committee. “‘Ms. Ambrose has been clear that Sen. Beyak’s views do not reflect the Conservative party’s position on residential schools,” said Jake Enwhistle, Ambrose’s spokesman. (Huffington Post, April 7, 2017)

Senator Beyak is not apologizing, nor does she intend to resign for expressing her opinion, as some critics have urged.

Instead she struck back, arguing political correctness is stifling discussion. The Toronto Star (April 6, 2017) reported: “Sen. Lynn Beyak says her removal from the Senate’s committee for indigenous people is ‘a threat to freedom of speech,’ and claims she is supported by a ‘silent majority’ of Canadians. … In a statement Thursday, Beyak bemoaned how it is becoming ‘difficult’ to have a ‘balanced, truthful discussion’ about all issues in Canada. ‘Political correctness is stifling opinion and thoughtful conversation that we must be allowed to have if we are to truly improve our great country,’ the statement said. ‘Too often, on a broad range of issues, a vocal minority cries foul and offence whenever a point of view is raised that does not align with their own.’

The duty of a member of the Senate is to discuss freely the issues of the day. Not so according to an Indian MP, NDPer Romeo Saganash: “Free speech does not apply to ‘people that celebrate genocide,'” he told the National Post (April 7, 2017) Of course, Senator Beyak wasn’t celebrating genocide, just trying to offer some perspective on what has become an Establishment guilt binge.