This racist screed was sent to Edmonton East constituents by their Conservative MP, Peter Goldring, in his householder in December 2009. Yes, folks, your tax dollars paid for racist literature!
There are those today who want to change the historical record regarding 19th century Metis leader Louis Riel. Peter Goldring, Member of Parliament for Edmonton East says that such historical revisionism is wrong and sets the record straight on Riel and his crimes.
Concerned?
Wait, there’s more!
Revisionist “time travel” ignores the reality of human suffering. History is there to be learned, not to be revised or reinter-preted today by persons who do not like the outcomes of over a century ago. “Time travelling” back to the Riel era and erasing this judgement from our history books as if it were wrong, would in itself be wrong. How can we possibly know what was in the minds of people 100 years ago, to re-judge them today, years af-ter the fact. How can we obtain a true ap-preciation for those issues, without the sweat of fear and the odour of death that those events caused across the West in that era?
His prejudice certainly shows through in that paragraph, eh? How about considering the suffering of the Metis, Peter? Or is that to Peter Goldring, the Metis Nation is not part of humanity?
He also says that a pardon for Riel would mean Canada was insulting the soldiers who fought against Riel on behalf of Canada.
So many people today appear to know little of and care less for the sacrifice of those very first Canadian war veterans who fought against Riel and saved our country from disin-tegration, so long ago.
“Saved our country?” Puh-leeze! More like helped turn it into the racist country it is!
Apparently, admitting mistakes of the past is not something Peter’s into:
To “unhang” Riel today is illogical for those who remember the true history of Riel’s revo-lutionary role and who also respect the au-thority of historical jury decisions. To posthu-mously “pardon” Riel would amount to a ret-roactive miscarriage of justice.
But hey, folks, Peter wants to know what you think. So how about you download and print this file, cut off that bottom portion and send it, free of charge, to the MP. Tell him how you really feel!
Hey, even his boss man, PMS, has left him to fend for himself! And that’s very interesting because the current PM has had strict control over messaging in recent years.
So, the immediate questions that arise for me are:
- Was the Prime Minister’s Office part of sending out this racist screed?
- Why hasn’t the Member of Parliament been charged with the publication and distribution of hate propaganda?
I asked the last question of Iggy, Jack and Gilles and await their replies. I encourage you to do likewise. And please let me know what questions I’ve missed asking.
the regina mom 
Darlene
/ February 21, 2010I couldn’t agree more with you Bernadette!!! (for some reason I can’t download, upload or print the thing, do you have it in pdf by any chance?)
croghan27
/ February 21, 2010Waaay back when I first took a history course in grade school about 1955 the ‘official version’ spoke of Riel being hung and a good thing too! This was southern New Brunswick – a bastion of ‘British loyalist’ sentiment even yet.
But the school being Catholic and the teaching Nuns being French (les anglaise were all CoE or United) It was mentioned, just mentioned (contrary to the official curriculum), that perhaps, just perhaps, that Riel was not the insane ideologue he was portrayed to be in the books – maybe (just maybe) there were legitimate grievances he was addressing. Maybe, just maybe, those grievances could be found in the civics books we studied in another course.
Naturally any seditious thoughts of his innocence were carefully made deniable before God (the Bishop) or man (the school board) – but the doubt of the justice of his conviction and the suggestion of his righteousness was planted.
The Crows (Nums) did good work there.
Alison
/ February 21, 2010Darlene : Peter Goldring’s Louis Riel Pamphlet
the regina mom
/ February 21, 2010Well Croghan, I was in high school in the late 70’s and in our Social Studies textbook First Nations people were “savages”. Fortunately, I have had some better texts since that time!
Darlene, you must need an upgrade to your Adobe Reader plug-in or sumpin.
Vivek Golikeri
/ March 11, 2010Normally I do not comment on controversies in Canada because I am a US citizen and resident. But this issue has racial and human rights implications transcending the country of its occurence. Goldring condemns Riel’s “civil disobedience?” Well hello, then you might as well condemn Gandhi and Martin Luther King! Rebels are always portrayed as villains by those they rebel against.
Had we lost the American Revolution, school textbooks in British America would have portrayed the signers of the Declaration of Independence as ” yon scourge of infamous renegades who didst foment sedition and insurrection against our said lord the beloved King George the Third…. blaw-blaw-blaw…. er jolly good…pip-pip…..”
It’s a pity Goldring doesn’t cross the US border and tell average Americans that their Founding Fathers were a bunch of “villains.” It would be so nice to see an enraged mob rip him apart.
Donna Fayant
/ March 21, 2010I am truly amazed but yet not in someways with our elected
officials at how limited their knowledge and respect is towards our true Canadains. I live in Goldring”s riding and
this doesn’t surprise me that he would be busy at this nonsense as I see very little progress in other matters that he has accomplished here. And we are suppose to praise and respect our multicultures ,great, then let it begin at home to the people that fought for democracy in this great country.