Minister responsible for Indigenous affairs Carolyn Bennett apologizes to Jody Wilson-Raybould over text message

Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Carolyn Bennett is apologizing to Independent MP Jody Wilson-Raybould for a message the former justice minister described as “racist and misogynist.”

Ms. Bennett said on Twitter that she has offered her apology directly to Ms. Wilson-Raybould.

“I let interpersonal dynamics get the better of me and sent an insensitive and inappropriate comment, which I deeply regret and shouldn’t have done,” she wrote.

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Ms. Wilson-Raybould shared a message that she said Ms. Bennett sent to her after Ms. Wilson-Raybould tweeted about the discovery of unmarked graves at the site of a former residential school in Saskatchewan.

Ms. Wilson-Raybould’s original post on the social media platform referenced the “horrific news” out of Saskatchewan and stressed that collective action needs to be on “concrete transformative action.” She also directed a message at Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and said that if he cared enough “to make things right” that he would stop his “selfish jockeying for an election,” adding that no one really wants to head to the polls.

Ms. Wilson-Raybould shared a screen shot of a message from Ms. Bennett in response to the post which said “Pension?”

The former B.C. regional chief of the Assembly of First Nations said that Ms. Bennett’s message reflected the idea that “Indigenous peoples are lazy” and only want money.

She also said that it showed “disregard, disdain” and “disrespect for Indigenous peoples,” including that history conveys that a strong Indigenous woman is a “bad” Indigenous woman.

An MP with six years of service is eligible for their pension. Ms. Wilson-Raybould first became an MP for the Liberal party in 2015 and would have six years of service in October. In 2019, she resigned from the Liberal cabinet over the SNC-Lavalin controversy.

After Ms. Wilson-Raybould shared the message on Thursday morning, other MPs denounced the message from the minister. Rachel Blaney of the NDP called it “shameful.” NDP MP Charlie Angus went further, saying that it was time that Ms. Bennett is “sent packing.”

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