Genocide is both lethal and non-lethal measures which inflict conditions on life that can lead to destruction. Genocide is not only mass murders and massacres, said Lafontaine. In straightforward sentences and concepts highlighted by illustrations, Lafontaine explains the “inescapable conclusion” of how Canada has and continues to commit genocide against Indigenous peoples. “The book is really a simplification of a long legal analysis that basically explains what is genocide.” “I know how legal documents are hard to understand,” said Lafontaine.
It is a very difficult topic.”Īt a June 19 event, NWAC launched its graphic guide “Genocide in Canada: A Legal Explanation” written by lawyer Fannie Lafontaine and illustrated by Chloloula. And what happened has to be explained very carefully. We can’t move forward unless we accept what happened. “When the inquiry released its final report in 2019, many Canadians found the conclusion of genocide difficult to grasp,” said NWAC president Lynne Groulx. The guide is their tool to demonstrate that Canada has perpetrated and continues to perpetrate genocide against Indigenous people. The Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC) is counting on it. Can a 12-page graphic guide relay the message that two volumes and more than 1,200 pages from the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls had a difficult time doing?
