Indigenous people call Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s tweet ‘disappointing’
Global News
A video tweeted by Smith on Friday has received a lot of backlash on social media and from the Indigenous community who claim her comments are harmful to reconciliation.
Indigenous people across Alberta are calling Premier Danielle Smith’s tweet “disappointing,” saying it is harmful to truth and reconciliation in the province.
Smith’s video, which was published on Twitter on Friday morning, claimed Indigenous peoples and settlers “united to tame an unforgiving frontier” to ensure the “prosperity of future generations.”
The video has since received intense backlash on social media, with many claiming she is revising parts of Canadian history.
Tanya Harnett, a fine arts associate professor for the University of Alberta, called Smith’s statement “ignorant” and “disappointing.”
Harnett is a member of the Carry-The-Kettle First Nations in Saskatchewan and added that elected officials have a responsibility to know about Indigenous history.
“It’s disappointing and it’s not informed. Anyone who’s in that level of government should really know what they’re talking about,” Harnett said.
“We should be at a point in time where we know the history and the children (that were killed).”