MORRIS, MAN.—A controversy is brewing in this southern Manitoba farm town after the community newspaper published editorial comments calling Aboriginals corrupt and lazy.

A bricks and bouquets section of the most recent edition of the Morris Mirror gave a thumbs-down to “Canada’s native community … who are demanding unrealistic expectations of the government and who in some cases are acting like terrorists in their own country.”

The comment went on to say that “Indians/Natives want it all but corruption and laziness prevent some of them from working for it.”

Next to it is a cartoon depicting a native character sending out smoke signals with the caption: “Before they were partially wiped out by white men’s diseases, the Canadian Indian had a highly evolved society built around the world’s first cellphone.”

Editor Reed Turcotte told CTV News that he had made one change to the newspaper’s online edition by removing the phrase “a type of paganism” from the cartoon caption.

On the newspaper’s website, Turcotte and his wife, managing editor Lorraine Ayotte-Turcotte, wrote an editorial pointing out criticism in other media of the Idle No More movement and then addressed the controversy directly.

“As two of our children are also Metis, we are very well aware of the challenges of First Nations People,” they wrote. “Having been brought up in British Columbia and having been a friend of Chief Dan George, we find the Natives there much more progressive than in Manitoba or Ontario.

“We apologize to those we offended in that regards, however, we stand by the fact that the Natives must work to get out of their situation rather than sit ‘Idle No More.’ ”

The newspaper’s online edition also published several letters critical of the “thumbs-down” column, the subsequent editorial and the cartoon.

“Watch your back, editor, you have First Nations living a few miles down the road,” wrote Delmar Peters. “You sure don’t mind the First Nation dollars that come through your community. Native terrorists? You haven’t seen nothing yet!”

Tammy Peters, who identified herself as Aboriginal, wrote that she was saddened and disgusted by the article.

“It is fair to say you have the right to express your opinions but I must say that the reason our society hasn’t progressed in regards to racism is because of the views expressed in this article.”

Mayor Gavin van der Linde also wrote to the Morris Mirror urging more people to “speak out against such ignorance and racism.”

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The online edition included a thank you to those who had emailed and phoned with their comments.

“Freedom of speech is great, as long as it’s educated,” she said. “You can have all kinds of opinions and all kinds of ideas, but if it’s not based in good facts and good understanding of something, then you’re just spewing hot air.”

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