Indigenous people (and not only) don’t like Adler’s nomination as Senator, and he replies: “Getting criticized is nothing new”

by Marzio Pelù

TORONTO – Just nominated Senator and immediately into the storm: Charles Adler, a successful journalist and radio host in Manitoba, received the nomination from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Saturday and the Assembly of Chiefs of the First Nations of Manitoba has already asked the governor general and the Prime Minister himself to revoke it for “grossly offensive” comments about Indigenous communities made by Adler in 1999 during one of his radio broadcasts.

Such comments included references to Indigenous leaders as “uncivilized  boneheads” and “intellectually moribund” or people who should “get a job”. The statements were “vulgar and racist” according to the Natives, who filed a formal complaint with the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council at the time. The latter, however, responds to the complaint, judging Adler’s sentences as a “political comment” by one of the “media commentators”. But Indigenous Chiefs were and are, now more than before, of a completely different opinion: those comments “remain offensive” because “they perpetuate harmful stereotypes and misconceptions about First Nations now that this is once again brought to light due to this appointment. It is obvious that Canada and the prime minister turned a blind eye to these offensive views when they made that appointment”.

In particular, AMC Grand Chief Cathy Merrick told the CBC that the appointment demonstrated “a blatant disregard for the principle of respect for equality and reconciliation that Canada claims to support”.

Adler responded to the criticism via a post on Twitter-X: “Getting criticized is nothing new. Happened every minute of every day for more than 30 yrs of Talk Radio. Looks like it’ll be much the same for next 5 yrs as Senator. Politics is a contact sport. If you don’t want to the take the hits, do something else”.

The problem is that the “hits”, for him but above all for Justin Trudeau, also come from where they shouldn’t: for example, a government minister. Liberal MP for St. Boniface, Manitoba, Dan Vandal – whose cabinet responsibilities include Northern Affairs, Prairies Economic Development Canada and the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency – issued a brief statement critical of Adler’s appointment : “There are many highly qualified Manitobans who are better suited to represent our province than Charles Adler”, Vandal said on Monday. Vandal, who was a city councilor and also ran for Mayor of Winnipeg when Adler was working at the radio in Manitoba, declined to comment further. And neither Winnipeg South Center MP Ben Carr, nor Winnipeg South MP Terry Duguid, nor Winnipeg North MP Kevin Lamoureux accepted to comment, preferring not to answer CBC‘s questions about Adler’s appointment.

Instead, Adler speaks. Reached by telephone in Winnipeg, the new Senator said he agreed with Vandal. “if he says that there are people in Manitoba more qualified than yours truly to be in the Senate, he’s probably right” he said. Manitoba has approximately 1.5 million inhabitants.

In the pic above: Charles Adler (from his Twitter X  profile – @charlesadler)