That's a possibility Doug. But I would submit this to mull over. Several interviews with Atwood discuss that she is acutely aware of racial inequity and the juxtaposition of Christianity and racism in America. She also denotes she was inspired (and horrified) to read about German eugenics and other racially charged atrocities around the world and purposefully tried to speak on that in the novel in subtle, referential ways. So I don't know that that was fully the case, but I don't disagree that FN peoples have such a tragic history in Canada.