Why the Wife of Quesnel's Mayor Is Suing the Union of BC Indian Chiefs

[Editor’s note: This article contains discussion of residential schools and residential school denialism.]

The Union of BC Indian Chiefs says a defamation lawsuit filed by Pat Morton, the spouse of Quesnel Mayor Ron Paull, should be dismissed based on the province’s anti-SLAPP legislation.

Morton and her son Kevin Christieson filed separate claims in B.C. Supreme Court on May 12 alleging that a letter the Union of BC Indian Chiefs, or UBCIC, wrote to Quesnel city council last year defamed them and brought “severe reputational damage, emotional distress and fear.”

The UBCIC, which represents more than 100 First Nations in B.C., accused Morton of promoting and sharing the controversial book Grave Error: How the Media Misled Us (and the Truth about Residential Schools) at the income tax business where she works.

Grave Error, published by right-wing news outlet True North, is a collection of essays that claim many of the documented harms inflicted by residential schools are “either totally false or grossly exaggerated.” The book has been criticized for spreading a false narrative about Indigenous history that is harmful to residential school survivors and reconciliation efforts.

The UBCIC letter alleged Morton had “bought cases” of the book and handed them out to her clients from her son's tax preparation office in Quesnel “in blatant disregard for the impact this would have on residential school survivors and their families.”

The UBCIC filed a statement of defence June 6 arguing that its allegations about Morton’s purchase and distribution of the book were fair comment and in the public interest.

Any damage to the plaintiffs was the result of their own actions, it said.

“UBCIC has been vocal in challenging residential school denialism and what it views as the book’s dissemination of misinformation harmful to residential school survivors and their families,” it said.

“Among other things, UBCIC has attempted to uplift and uphold the testimony of survivors, support healing for survivors and their families, and advocate for policies that acknowledge and take responsibility for the history and harmful legacy of residential schools.”

UBCIC said it is relying on B.C.’s Protection of Public Participation Act, legislation passed in 2019 that is meant to prevent lawsuits intended to silence criticism, in its defence. This legislation is commonly referred to as anti-SLAPP, or strategic lawsuits against public participation, legislation.

Morton is also suing Quesnel city Coun. Laurey-Anne Roodenburg, who serves as the council’s Indigenous liaison, for “statements that contributed to a hostile environment” during council meetings in March and April last year.

Morton’s son Kevin Christieson also filed a lawsuit against the UBCIC, alleging harm to his reputation and impacts to his business.

None of the allegations have been proven in court. The Tyee reached out to the parties involved in the lawsuits but all declined further comment.

B.C. court records show that Morton has filed more than a dozen civil claims in B.C. courts since 1989.

Morton acknowledges purchasing book copies

In documents filed with the court, Morton acknowledged ordering 11 copies of the book for friends who “do not shop online at Amazon.” She said that, in February 2024, she provided a copy to a client who dropped by the office and was “involved in the Métis community” to get her perspective on the book. She also gave copies to the local school district and the local MLA.

“The remaining books were given to close friends and family,” she said. “They were not publicly offered or distributed.”

The MLA returned the book unread, Morton wrote in her statement of claim. The Quesnel Board of Education later issued a statement denouncing it.

Grave Error denies that most Indigenous children were forced to attend residential school, and denies many of the worst harms committed at residential schools. One of its purported goals is to “[recover] a more balanced picture of residential schools.”

Between 2008 and 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission gathered testimonies from roughly 7,000 people who attended residential schools, which operated in Canada from 1883 to 1996. Indigenous children were forced to attend the federal institutions where widespread physical and sexual abuse, overcrowding, malnutrition and disease have been documented.

At least 6,000 children are estimated to have died while attending residential schools. The commission’s 2015 final report described their effect on Indigenous people as cultural genocide.

Last year, news about the Quesnel mayor’s wife’s connection to the book brought swift condemnation from First Nations and other community leaders.

In a March 19, 2024, letter to council, the Lhtako Dene Nation expressed concern that “a person related to” a council member had been distributing Grave Error. It asked that council reaffirm its memorandum of understanding with the nation and allow Elders to provide first-hand knowledge about residential schools.

The letter was followed by letters from the Nazko First Nation, Quesnel Board of Education, North Cariboo Métis Association and BC Assembly of First Nations, all supporting the Lhtako Dene. The letters are included in city council’s March 19 and April 2, 2024, council meeting agendas.

The April 2, 2024, letter from the UBCIC is not included in the council agenda but was shared in a public social media post by the Lhtako Dene Nation.

According to Morton’s claim, the UBCIC’s letter “falsely characterized Pat Morton as a promoter of residential school denialism and was perceived as a formal denunciation by a major Indigenous authority.”

“I believe the defendant’s letter, either through negligence or bad faith, lent credibility to defamatory narratives and was weaponized by others to discredit Mayor Ron Paull by targeting his family,” Morton wrote in the suit.

Christieson’s claim denies that the book was being handed out to clients at his office and says the letter “contributed to negative media and Facebook comments” that impacted his business.

“These false and misleading statements were obviously made with the intention to mislead and manipulate the public into believing a false narrative that simply was not true,” Christieson’s claim says.

In its response, the UBCIC stood by the letter, saying it was written “in furtherance of its mandate” to advocate for First Nations, and that it was provided only to the Quesnel mayor and council and the Lhtako Dene Nation.

Both Christieson and Morton are claiming general damages for reputational harm, defamation, emotional distress and business losses, as well as special damages for loss of professional standing and community trust from the UBCIC.

They are asking for a public clarification or apology and an order requiring the UBCIC “to cease any ongoing harmful publications or endorsements.”

Morton, whose brief appearance at last year’s April 2 council meeting was met with frequent interruptions by members of the public, alleges “malicious, politically motivated” conduct in her lawsuit against Coun. Roodenburg. She is claiming punitive damages.

Roodenburg’s response, filed on May 30, describes Morton’s claims as “unnecessary, frivolous or vexatious” and calls for the lawsuit to be dismissed under B.C. Supreme Court rules.

“A notice of civil claim which is so confusing and difficult to understand that it is irrelevant and embarrassing within the meaning of Rule 9-5 (1)(b) should be struck,” it said.

Paull continues in his role as Quesnel’s mayor.

In March, he won a lawsuit against the city after council voted on April 30, 2024, to censure him and remove him from numerous committees, a move meant to repair relations with local First Nations. The resolutions were quashed on grounds of procedural fairness.