Lawrence Joseph, a former chief of the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations, is facing criticism for comparing the residential school experience to the Jewish Holocaust.

Joseph is the NDP candidate for Desnethe-Missinippi-Churchill River. At a recent forum, he said the Canadian government was trying to get rid of Native people by sending them to residential schools.

"If you look at the dictionary at holocaust it describes an effort to clean-up a race. Without any doubt in my mind that was what the government wanted to do," Joseph told CJME Radio.

NDP leader Jack Layton says Joseph has apologized for his comments but it's not clear that Joseph did, based on news reports.

Get the Story:
'Holocaust' comment not appropriate: Layton (CBC 4/21)
Public outcry continues over Lawrence Joesph comparing the holocaust to the residential school experience (CKOM 4/21)
NDP candidate Lawrence Joseph defends residential school, holocaust comparison (CJME 4/20)