Former Ontario Premier Mike Harris denied unequivocally on Tuesday that he used a profane slur against natives during an emergency meeting on the day of a deadly standoff at Ipperwash Provincial Park.
In November, former Ontario attorney general Charles Harnick told the Ipperwash inquiry that he heard Harris say, "I want the fucking Indians out of the park" during a meeting with senior government officials at the height of the standoff.
"I absolutely did not say that, or words to those effect, or use that adjective at any time during this meeting," Harris told the inquiry on Tuesday.
"The adjective is not foreign to me, but not the kind of language I would use at any kind of a meeting like the meeting we were at."
Several others who attended the 1995 meeting, such as former deputy solicitor general Ellen Todres and former solicitor general Bob Runciman also deny Harris made the statement.
The Chiefs of Ontario, a coalition of First Nations leaders, issued a statement late Tuesday expressing disappointment that Harris "is not willing to accept any responsibility" for George's death.
The group's Ontario regional chief, Angus Toulouse, accused Harris of "evasion of the truth about the events that led to Dudley's death."
"We don't know of any reason why Mr. Harnick would have lied about this, or had any subconscious motivation to change his memories," said Murray Klippenstein, the lawyer for the family of Dudley George, who was killed by a police sniper during a 1995 native occupation at Ipperwash Provincial Park.
"So we expect this will be the subject of careful cross-examination."
Tuesday was Harris' first day of testifying at the inquiry into the shooting of George.
He also expressed satisfaction that he had the chance "to respond to the allegations that have been made against my government, that have been made against me."
"I'm looking forward to the commissioner's report, to his findings."
Harris told the inquiry in Forest, Ont., the separation between government and police was clear in the mind of his government and it was understood he had no authority to direct police matters.
Still, Harris said he wanted "clear" and "decisive" action taken to end the protest before it "escalated.
"We felt this occupation should end as soon as possible," he said.
The extent to which Harris directed the police response to the native occupation has been a key issue during the judicial probe into George's death.
The inquiry, which began in April 2004, has already heard from around 100 witnesses, including several police officers and former cabinet ministers.
CTV's Paul Bliss, reporting from the inquiry, said Harris arrived at the hearing "with confidence."
Throughout his time on the stand, Harris will face lawyers and a gallery of spectators.
Lawyer Julian Falconer, who represents Aboriginal Legal Services, called Harris's appearance "judgment day," adding that the former premier would finally be made to answer to the events surrounding George's death.
Harris faces questions on his role in the events of the night of Sept. 4, 1995, when a group of First Nations protesters from Stoney Point occupied Ipperwash Provincial Park, near Sarnia in southwestern Ontario.
The activists were protesting for the return of Camp Ipperwash land that was taken by the government during the Second World War and never returned. They also claimed they were protecting sacred burial grounds within the park.
George was unarmed when he was shot dead by an OPP sniper.
The implication is that if Harris made the statement, he may have contributed to George's death by provoking the OPP to use force to remove the protesters from the park.
This is expected to be the focus of much of the questioning against Harris over the course of the week.
"When the most powerful man in the province (speaks), you know he expects to be listened to," Murray Klippenstein, the lawyer representing the George family, told The Canadian Press Monday.
Klippenstein argued that if indeed Harris did make the alleged statement, it could have had deadly repercussions.
"When, and if, the premier said these things, did that get pipelined to the police commanders and police officers on the ground with the guns? Did it affect their behaviour? Was it the critical tipping-point factor that made the difference between Dudley George dying and not dying?"
In recent months, the probe has zeroed in on Harris' involvement. Witnesses who were at the Queen's Park meeting have been closely questioned on what took place.
In 2003, the George family settled their civil suit with a $100,000 settlement from the OPP, plus legal costs.
After Dalton McGuinty's Liberal Party won the 2003 provincial election, McGuinty made good on a campaign promise and launched the inquiry into George's death.
The inquiry's website states its mandate is to inquire and report on the events surrounding George's death, as well as make recommendations that would avoid similar situations from happening.
It is the second time that Harris has testified at a public inquiry. The first was after the Walkerton tainted water scandal in 2000.
With a report from CTV's Denelle Balfour
