By Caelan Beard, Anastazia Csegeny, and Kate Paterson
Content Warning: This case may be distressing and awaken memories of past traumatic experiences and abuse.
The National Indian Residential School Crisis Line provides 24-hour crisis support to former Indian Residential School students and their families toll-free at 1-866-925-4419.
Individuals impacted by the issue of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls are encouraged to contact the MMIWG Crisis Line toll-free at 1-844-413-6649.
First Nations, Inuit and Métis seeking immediate emotional support can contact the Hope for Wellness Help Line toll-free at 1-855-242-3310, or by online chat at hopeforwellness.ca.
This communications case study examines three tweets (Premier Scott Moe, the Saskatchewan Roughriders, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau) expressing condolences regarding the events at James Smith Cree Nation, as well as a media release (First Indigenous Sovereign Nation), which articulates the circumstances of the stabbings from an Indigenous perspective and reflects on the immediate needs of the community.
Analyzing Three Tweets
1. Scott Moe, Premier of Saskatchewan
Scott Moe shared three tweets on Sept. 4, regarding the stabbings at James Smith Cree Nation, followed by a two-minute video on Sept. 5, detailing his “latest message on yesterday’s horrific attacks.”
In his second tweet on the stabbings, Moe praised the “RCMP and other police services” while overlooking the identity of the James Smith Cree Nation community and their experiences of the attacks.
Moe’s video message demonstrates the harm in using language like “senseless” to describe tragedy, as well as how the fine details of a video message can quickly remove the significance of the event. Moe uses the word “senseless” along with other loaded language, such as “horrific,” “evil,” and “vicious” in his video and prior tweets, thus portraying a wilful ignorance regarding the events at James Smith Cree Nation and other relevant factors in the stabbings, including substance use and intergenerational trauma.
Further, Moe is in dressed in jeans and a polo shirt in his video, and he has clearly set up the video himself since he steps back from the lens before speaking. It is arguably jarring to see a politician making a statement on an event such as the stabbings at James Smith Cree Nation in such a manner.
The setting of Moe’s video is also strange since he stands in a grain field as he reads his statement. The field inherently reinforces his own identity. The lack of specificity is also evident in the caption for his video, “[h]ere’s my latest message…” Moe shows little effort to even paraphrase the events in his caption, again diverting the attention to himself as a politician.
2. Saskatchewan Roughriders, Canadian Football League (CFL) Team
The Saskatchewan Roughriders were one sports team who shared their condolences and reaction to the events at James Smith Cree Nation on Twitter. Like Scott Moe, their tweet portrays a false sense of sympathy and overlooks the significance of the James Smith Cree Nation community as those most affected by the stabbings.
The Roughriders’ message appears on Twitter on a green background with their team logo. Similar to Scott Moe’s video message in a grain field, the Roughriders’ tweet reinforces the team’s identity; a more appropriate message might have instead appeared on a black background rather than green.
The Roughriders also state in their message that they are “grateful for all first responders on the ground working hard to keep us safe and the health care workers treating those hurt.” While such a message of acknowledgement is understandable given the many first responders who assisted in the aftermath of the stabbings, the Roughriders’ message positions first responders as taking precedence over the losses of life and injuries in the community.
In line with the focus of this case study, the Roughriders also use the word “senseless” to describe the events, mimicking the emptiness of other statements like Scott Moe and arguably ending the conversation on the stabbings rather than prompting meaningful dialogue about contextual factors leading to such events.
The Roughriders continue to shift the narrative away from the James Smith Cree Nation community as they phrase the “acts of violence committed in our province”; while the events certainly took place in the province, the significance lies in the fact that they took place in an Indigenous Nation.
The Roughriders conclude their message with the phrase “Our team…grieves with you,” though again, there is no evidence of wanting to help the community, such as channels for donations or mental health resources.
3. Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada
Justin Trudeau released a series of tweets offering condolences to the James Smith Cree Nation community following the stabbings. On Sept. 4, Trudeau cited the “attacks in Saskatchewan” as “horrific and heartbreaking.” He released formal remarks the following day at a press conference.
While Trudeau did not use “senseless” in his initial tweets. But his use of “horrific” is loaded language that still misconstrues the context of the situation.
Trudeau’s formal statement the following day also portrays a performative style in an attempt to “reflect [the] values” of James Smith Cree Nation and Indigenous communities and showcase empathy and positive qualities so “personal and political differences [might] fade.” However, Trudeau’s statement is hypocritical of previous relationships with Indigenous Nations, particularly with his use of “we” that strategically shifts the focus from himself and his policies regarding the Indigenous, or the lack thereof. Trudeau states that “[w]e’ll do what we always do in times of difficulty and anguish,” phrasing which is highly performative and frilly and does not propose any solutions to the situation or ways for the public to actively help.
Later in his remarks, he assures that “[w]e’ll be there for each other. We’ll be there for our neighbours.” Considering how the government has historically overlooked Indigenous needs (e.g., residential schools, Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, water contamination, and underfunding of Indigenous education), it is worth reflecting on the appropriateness of Trudeau’s phrasing.
Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN) Media Release
Alongside our analysis of tweets that demonstrate different uses of “senseless” and adjacent phrasing, we also examined another use of “senseless” through the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN) media release from Sept. 4. The FSIN’s media release was also shared via Twitter, and it was released the day of the stabbings rather than the following day like Justin Trudeau’s formal statement. The media release immediately “offer[ed] [a] message of condolence to the communities of James Smith Cree Nation,” and uses the word “senseless” to call upon the Canadian government and the RCMP in anticipation of the future.
The Saskatchewan stabbings were “senseless” not because the events were unpredictable, inexplicable, or unforeseeable. Rather, these “senseless acts of violence” could have been prevented by quicker intervention from the RCMP, and, unfortunately, these acts will not change how politicians and other leaders respond to similar events in the future.
Politicians commenting on the Saskatchewan stabbings are effectively removed from the situation, and they do not have the understanding nor perspective to call the acts “senseless”; their inability to use “senseless” is further confirmed by a record of overlooking issues of substance use, criminality, and adequate police response time in Indigenous communities.
Other groups, such as the Saskatchewan Roughriders, use “senseless” to respond to tragedies as a kind of performative condolence in a bandwagon manner; their messages do not promote any action to work to remedy the devastation in the community, such as links to donate or programs to support.
The FSIN, however, has much closer links to Indigenous communities and Nations. As a result, they can make more informed recommendations and calls to action. For the FSIN and Indigenous communities outside of Saskatchewan, “senseless” seems to reflect the a lack of mental health and substance use supports and resources in the community.
While representations of death and criminality are often articulated in the context of substance use and abuse, there are other contributing factors to also recognize, including mental illness, childhood trauma, and residential school legacies.
Conclusion
The FSIN media release’s calls to action provide a fitting conclusion to this case study, but they by no means should end the overarching conversation on ethical communications of tragedy.
The final paragraphs of the FSIN’s media release calls upon authorities for support during this time and clearly indicate that leaders should take direction from Indigenous communities experiencing the tragedy rather than impose their own agendas for healing.
In a later press conference captured by Global News, the Chief of James Smith Cree Nation, Wally Burns, asked for “three things from the government.” Burns asked that the community have their “own tribal policing,” for “awareness in addictions,” and for “treatment centres,” all with the hope that “things wouldn’t happen like [the stabbings]” again.
This proposal of measured goals for the government is indicative of the need to understand the context of the events and inform others through context.
Discussion Questions
- What are appropriate rhetorical techniques for quickly reacting to events like the stabbings at James Smith Cree Nation when the context of the situation may be unknown? Who should be sharing public reactions to these types of events beyond politicians and world leaders? Is there anyone who should not share any reactions on social media or other public platforms?
- What words could be used to better describe this event instead of “senseless”? What other words might similarly be harmful?
- Justin Trudeau and Scott Moe each released longer statements regarding the events at James Smith Cree Nation on Sept. 5, the day after the attacks. By contrast, the First Sovereign Indigenous Nations released their statement on Sept. 4, the day of the attacks. Why might it have taken these high-profile politicians longer to react the events?
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