MURRAY HARBOUR, Prince Edward Island (LifeSiteNews) — A Prince Edward Island (PEI) councillor who was punished for denying the unproven claim of mass graves at residential schools is seeking a court review.
In a February 4 press release, the Canadian Constitution Foundation (CCF) announced they would defend PEI councillor John Robertson who was sanctioned by the town of Murray Harbour for placing a sign opposing the mass graves narrative on his lawn.
“The Supreme Court of Canada has said time and again that the purpose of freedom of expression is to ensure that everyone can manifest their thoughts, opinions, beliefs – however unpopular, distasteful or contrary to the mainstream,” CCF Counsel Josh Dehaas said.
“You don’t need freedom of expression to protect expression everyone agrees with,” he added. “The reason we have free speech is because today’s minority viewpoint sometimes turns out to be correct tomorrow, and people can’t have those difficult conversations if those in power can prevent them from speaking.”
The controversy began in September 2023 when Robertson placed a sign reading, “Truth: Mass Grave Hoax. Reconciliation: Redeem Sir John A’s Integrity” on his lawn. Robertson later said he intended the sign to spark conversations surrounding the still-unproven claim that former residential school sites are the home to mass graves of students.
Many residents of the small town of Murray Harbour issued complaints over the sign and called for Robertson’s resignation. However, Robertson refused to step down, leading some of his fellow councillors to launch a Code of Conduct investigation into his actions.
Robertson was later issued a fine of $500, a six-month suspension, and ordered to apologize for the sign. Robertson refused to comply with the sanctions, and the provincial minister in charge has since threatened to remove him.
Currently, CCF is seeking a full judicial review into the sanctions in the Supreme Court of PEI. However, they have been informed that since they did not file the application within 30 days of the review, it is up to the judge if he wishes to hear the appeal.
Robertson’s Counsel, Brandon Forbes of Campbell & Lea, remained hopeful that the judge would hear the appeal, pointing out that the “questions raised in this application are of great public interest – not just to Mr. Robertson but arguably to all Canadians.”
While Robertson’s signs is certainly controversial in the mainstream sphere, what it implies is factually correct, namely, that there have been no mass graves discovered at residential schools.
Residential schools, while run by both the Catholic Church and other Christian churches, were mandated and set-up by the federal government and ran from the late 19th century until the last school closed in 1996.
While some children did tragically die at the once-mandatory boarding schools, evidence has revealed that many of the children passed away as a result of unsanitary conditions due to underfunding by the federal government, not the Catholic Church.
Public attitude shifted drastically, often accompanied by anti-Catholic, in 2021 when the mainstream media ran with the unproven claim that hundreds of children were buried and disregarded by Catholic priests and nuns who ran some of the schools. Since then, over 100 churches have been burned or vandalized across Canada in seeming retribution.
Despite the lack of physical evidence of any such graves, mainstream media outlets and government officials have continued to perpetuate the narrative. The issue has gone as far as seeing MPs insist so-called “residential school denialism” be criminalized.