Coun. Marnie Brenner (Image Credit: City of Williams Lake)

By James Peters

Controversial Comments

Williams Lake Indian Band council calls for city councillor to resign after residential school comments

Jun 18, 2020 | 12:43 PM

WILLIAMS LAKE, B.C. — UPDATE: According to the Williams Lake Tribune, Councillor Brenner has issued a sincere apology for her comments.

EARLIER: The Williams Lake Indian Band (WLIB) council is calling for a member of Williams Lake council to resign after she made comments extolling the virtues of a residential school.

In a news release, WLIB council says the offensive comments were made at a Williams Lake council meeting Tuesday (June 16).

On the topic of reconciliation, Councillor Marnie Brenner is quoted saying “there are always two sides” and, discussing a residential school at Riske Creek, saying First Nations people were “disappointed that they had to leave residential school because they had a pool there.” Brenner is Indigenous.

Several WLIB councillors express shock and outrage at Brenner’s comments, and Chief Willie Sellars evoked racial tensions in the United States with an analogy.

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“Can you imagine if a government official in the United States stood up and said that slavery wasn’t such a bad thing because black Americans were fed and had a roof over their heads? There would be incredible outrage, and rightfully so,” said Sellars.

According to the report stemming from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, more than 3,200 Indigenous children died in Canada’s residential school system. The report, accepted by the government of Canada, condemns the residential school system.

Sellars calls on Brenner to resign and for Williams Lake council to issue an apology.