Residential school denialism

Residential school denialism is negationist ideology that trivializes, downplays or misrepresents the effects of the Canadian Indian residential school system. Despite decades of recognition and acknowledgments, denialism claims is a factor within Canadian society. Residential school denialism often includes claims that the number of reported deaths have been inflated by the "reconciliation industry", that there were only isolated cases of child sexual abuse, and that many survivors are untrustworthy and just seeking compensation. Some scholars contend that the school system was a progressive form of state intervention, that provided an education, and vastly improved the health of the students.

Residential school denialism is often presented in a pseudo-scholarly manner. Publications such as The Dorchester Review, and organizations such as the Indian Residential Schools Research Group (IRSRG) have been created in order to combat what denialists have described as "poor standards of research and reporting on the residential school system".

Kisha Supernant and Sean Carleton responded to denialists, stating that "there is no big lie or deliberate hoax", but is instead "the complicated nature of what the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada calls the 'complex truth'". Residential school denialism has sparked debates over policy. NDP Member of Parliament Leah Gazan has proposed that the federal government of Canada criminalize residential school denialism under hate speech. However, legal scholars have previously asserted that legislation restricting "freedom of expression" would likely not pass a constitutional challenge under the Canadian Charter.