Wide-eyed patriotism is an Indigenous value – The Hill Times

February 9, 2026

When former prime minister Jean Chrétien says we have to stop looking back at the problems in Canada instead of looking forward at the potential, his statement smacks of denial instead of a sense of history.

OTTAWA—Too often, there’s an embarrassing old uncle at a family event, and some of his comments elicit an awkward grimace.

At a sit-down of two former prime ministers—Liberal Jean Chrétien and Conservative Stephen Harper—hosted by the Royal Canadian Geographical Society in Ottawa on Feb. 2, Chrétien began by proclaiming his leadership as the then-named Indian affairs minister with a tone of pride despite doing significant damage to the relationship between Canada and Indigenous Peoples. He moved on to use a slur to name Inuit, and then blew off the impacts and crimes of the churches that ran residential schools. Harper sat quietly and looked down, being the prime minister who apologized for residential schools and its impact on Indigenous Peoples.

Read More: https://www.hilltimes.com/story/2026/02/09/wide-eyed-patriotism-is-an-indigenous-value/491055/