On April 2 2024, a significant gathering of more than 200 people, including the Chiefs of Lhtako Dené and Nazko First Nations, community Elders, and residential school survivors marched to a Quesnel city council meeting. There, three city councillors - Laurey-Anne Roodenberg, Tony Goulet, and Scott Elliot - formally denounced the actions of Mayor Ron Paull and his wife Pat Morton, and have called for his resignation from office. Despite this public outcry for accountability and change, Mayor Ron Paull has refused to resign.

The reason behind this widespread condemnation is deeply troubling. It has come to light that Mayor Ron Paull and his wife have been distributing a book titled “A Grave Error: How the Media Misled Us (And the Truth About Residential Schools)” within our community. This book attempts to dispute, diminish, and dismiss the harm caused by residential schools to Canada's Indigenous people.

Residential schools were part of an official Canadian policy aimed at assimilating Indigenous children into Euro-Canadian society (source: Truth & Reconciliation Commission). The lasting effects on Indigenous communities are profound; they include loss of language & culture, psychological trauma & intergenerational trauma which continue today (source: National Centre for Truth & Reconciliation).

Distributing such material that seeks to undermine these historical facts and the lived experiences of survivors in our community is not only morally reprehensible but also ethically unacceptable from someone holding public office.

We believe that this action has resulted in losing public confidence in Mayor Ron Paull's ability to represent us morally and ethically. Therefore we demand his immediate resignation from office as mayor of Quesnel.

Stand with us in demanding accountability from our leaders; sign this petition today!