Truth Before Reconciliation: Understanding Residential School Denialism with Dr. Niigaan Sinclair

On September 8, 2026, North York Community House (NYCH) in partnership with Toronto South West Local Immigration Partnership, hosted a virtual webinar featuring Dr. Niigaanwewidam Sinclair, an Anishinaabe scholar, professor, writer, and public commentator. This conversation explored Residential School denialism — how it operates, why it persists, and what is at stake when denial shapes public understanding of Canada’s history. During the session, Dr. Sinclair discussed:

• What Residential School denialism is and the different forms it can take.
• How denialism can dismiss or minimize the experiences of Survivors.
• How the history and causes of child deaths at Residential Schools can be distorted or downplayed.
• How narratives that portray the Residential School system as beneficial or benevolent contribute to denialism.
• Why understanding historical evidence is important to meaningful Truth and Reconciliation.
• The impacts of Residential School denialism on Indigenous Peoples and communities.

Dr. Niigaanwewidam Sinclair is Anishinaabe from Peguis First Nation and a professor in the Department of Indigenous Studies at the University of Manitoba. He is an award-winning writer, editor, and public commentator. His book Winipêk: Visions of Canada from an Indigenous Centre received the 2024 Governor General’s Literary Award for Nonfiction. He is also a two-time recipient of the Columnist of the Year award for his work with the Winnipeg Free Press.

Content note: This webinar discusses Residential Schools, the deaths of Indigenous children, colonialism, and the ongoing impacts of these histories on Indigenous Peoples and communities.