Winnipeg mayor says Manitoba premier should say sorry for Canadian history comments

WINNIPEG _ The mayor of Winnipeg is calling on Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister to apologize for comments on Canadian history.

Brian Bowman says the remarks made him angry and minimized the impact of residential schools on Indigenous people.

Pallister did not specifically mention the schools three weeks ago, when he criticized protesters who tore down two statues on the legislature grounds.

The premier said people who came to Canada _ both before and after it became a country _ did not come to destroy, but to build communities, churches and businesses.

The words were quickly condemned by Indigenous leaders who said Pallister was downplaying the harmful effects of colonialism.

Some of the premier’s own caucus members have distanced themselves from the comments, and Pallister has not spoken to the media in two weeks.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 30, 2021.