As in the reckonings sparked by the murder of George Floyd in 2020, the truth about the unmarked graves that surfaced in 2021 sparked waves of rage, grief, and solidarity across Canada. Statues of colonial figures who helped design these twisted institutions were toppled; a major university changed its name; churches were burned. Eventually, Pope Francis would come to Canada in what he termed a “penitential pilgrimage,” after which he concluded, “Yes, it’s a genocide.” Canada’s Parliament then unanimously passed a motion stating that the residential school system met the United Nations’ definition of genocide.

QUESTION: Which UN definition of genocide did the motion invoke, and what does it require beyond intent to destroy a group?

Naomi Klein, Doppelganger, loc. 846