The Turner Files by Wilbur Turner
By any decent standard of leadership, Tara Armstrong has failed. Not just as an MLA, but as a human being entrusted with the power to shape policy and public discourse. Her latest outburst 鈥� an undisguised tirade against Indigenous sovereignty and the Central Okanagan School Board鈥檚 commitment to reconciliation 鈥� reveals a politician so mired in reactionary spite that she鈥檚 willing to trample on truth, justice, and the hard work of healing, all for the sake of attention-seeking pandering to the far-right fringes of public opinion.
In a statement that should disqualify anyone from public service, Armstrong referred to reconciliation initiatives as 鈥減ropaganda,鈥� accused school trustees of 鈥渋ndoctrination,鈥� and smeared educational efforts on Indigenous history as an 鈥渁genda鈥� aimed at shaming Canadians.
This isn鈥檛 鈥渃oncerned parenting.鈥� This is bigotry dressed up as populism. It鈥檚 ignorance weaponized. And it's a slap in the face to Indigenous communities who have suffered 鈥� and continue to suffer 鈥� under the legacy of colonialism.
Like many cut from the same cloth, Armstrong leans heavily on the tired trope that Canadians are being made to feel 鈥済uilty鈥� about the past. But guilt isn鈥檛 the point. Acknowledgement is. Guilt is an emotion. Acknowledgement is a choice 鈥� a moral imperative to recognize truths that have been buried, silenced, or sanitized for far too long. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission didn鈥檛 ask us to wallow in guilt. It asked us to see, to listen, and to act. And yet here we are, with an elected official framing the simple act of telling the truth 鈥� about residential schools, land theft, cultural genocide 鈥� as some kind of extremist ideological campaign. It鈥檚 disgusting.
Armstrong is one of a handful of politicians who disrespect the lives lost and lived experience of survivors of residential schools in Canada. In her latest attack on Central Okanagan School Board trustees she demands that board chair, Julia Fraser apologize for a social media post 鈥渟preading disturbing disinformation鈥� about the story of graves at the Tk鈥檈ml煤ps te Secw茅pemc residential school. Armstrong is attempting to frame the stories of loss as a hoax to support her narrative that this is all just a money making scheme. She calls it the reconciliation industry.
Between 1831 and 1996, Canada鈥檚 residential school system forcibly separated over 150,000 Indigenous children from their families, aiming to assimilate them into Euro-Canadian culture. These institutions were sites of neglect, abuse, and cultural suppression. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) conservatively estimated that between 4,000 to 6,000 Indigenous children died while attending these schools, though the actual number is believed to be higher. So, there are graves, and not just a few hundred of them.
These are all children who never returned home. Their parents were denied seeing them grow up. Even in death they were denied being buried according to their customs. One child鈥檚 death would have been one too many. Thousands is inexcusable. And Armstrong is denying that their graves exist. It is shameful.
So why is Armstrong saying these things now? She was a nobody in the BC Conservative Party. Now, having exited the party in solidarity with disgraced MLA Dallas Brodie, who was expelled for mocking residential school survivors, Armstrong appears to be betting her entire political future on race-baiting and grievance politics. As an isolated independent, she鈥檚 not trying to lead; she鈥檚 trying to burn something down in hopes the sparks catch in her favour. She鈥檚 desperate for relevance. And in today鈥檚 hyper-polarized climate, it seems the easiest way to get attention isn鈥檛 by offering solutions 鈥� it鈥檚 by attacking the vulnerable and punching down.
Let鈥檚 not pretend her claims deserve the benefit of the doubt. When Armstrong refers to 鈥減ropaganda on our children,鈥� she is talking about educators teaching historical facts: the truth about Canada鈥檚 colonial foundations and its treatment of Indigenous peoples. That is not propaganda 鈥� it鈥檚 necessary education. She doesn鈥檛 want kids to feel guilty; she wants them to stay ignorant.
When I was in school, we didn鈥檛 learn anything about Indigenous people. We were taught about explorers like Cartier and the push westward of the railroad, as though Canada鈥檚 story began with European boots on the ground. It wasn鈥檛 until just a few years ago, when I took the course Indigenous Canada, that I finally learned about the real impacts of colonization and the real beauty of Indigenous culture. It was only then that I realized the absence of Indigenous kids in my school. They were missing 鈥� erased from the curriculum and from the conversation. Did I feel guilty? No. I felt awakened. I gained a deeper understanding of the cultural devastation and systemic issues that continue to plague Indigenous communities. That knowledge didn鈥檛 make me ashamed 鈥� it made me responsible. And that awareness now guides how I think about my role in truth and reconciliation. That鈥檚 the power of education rooted in truth 鈥� it gives people the tools to do better.
Armstrong has called for the replacement of the elected school board, not because they鈥檙e failing their duty, but because they鈥檙e doing it too well 鈥� standing up for truth, inclusion, and reconciliation. Her denial of Indigenous sovereignty is not a policy disagreement. It is a fundamental rejection of constitutionally and internationally recognized rights. It is an erasure tactic, and it is not just wrong 鈥� it鈥檚 dangerous.
Armstrong is not some well-meaning contrarian. She is advancing a racist, revisionist, and deliberately inflammatory narrative aimed at undoing progress in Indigenous鈥搒ettler relations. Her statements are not 鈥渃ontroversial.鈥� They are hateful. They are harmful. And they must be condemned without qualification.
We鈥檝e seen where this kind of politics leads 鈥� to hate crimes, to disinformation, to emboldened white nationalism. We鈥檝e also seen how silence can allow it to fester. This is the moment for every leader, educator, and citizen who believes in truth and reconciliation to speak out 鈥� loudly and without apology. Because if people like Armstrong are allowed to shape the narrative, we will lose the fragile progress we鈥檝e made. And the cost will be borne, yet again, by Indigenous people.
If you鈥檙e outraged, you鈥檙e paying attention. Truth matters. So does calling out those who try to bury it.
~ Wilbur Turner is a political strategist and community advocate based in 91大黄鸭, British Columbia, with deep roots in Alberta. With experience on the ground in federal and municipal campaigns, and a passion for civic engagement, Turner offers sharp, accessible insight into the political and social issues shaping our region and country. He was selected by the University of British Columbia for an Honorary Doctor of Laws for his significant contribution to the community. He also writes articles as QueerGranddad on Substack.
