The Nunatsiavut Government says the decision by the provincial government not to rename Colonial Building “flies in the face of true reconciliation.”

On Monday the province announced that it would not be renaming the building following public consultations via EngageNL.

The Nunatsiavut Government calls government’s decision “weak.” They say they fact that non-indigenous people don’t want the name changed should not be a surprise because “the fast majority have no understanding whatsoever about what reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples really means.”

They say they were consulted on the matter, and suggested the new name of Parliament House as the word “colonial” has negative connotations, especially given the impacts of European colonialist cultures on the province’s Indigenous populations.

The Nunatsiavut Government says reconciliation is not always comfortable and sometimes requires decisions that are not popular, but are necessary to ensure the interests of marginalized people are respected and protected.

They are asking that Premier Andrew Furey reconsider the decision.