At one point in the film, Prime Minister John A. MacDonald is quoted to justify the starvation of Indigenous children held in residential schools. In 1882, MacDonald gave a speech in the House of Commons where he addressed the systematic starvation of Indigenous populations who relied on rations from the Canadian government. In MacDonald's words, "I have reason to believe that the agents as a whole ... are doing all they can, by refusing food until the Indians are on the verge of starvation, to reduce the expense."
When Perseverance is imprisoned as a young adult, her cellmate compares her to other imprisoned Cree such as Poundmaker and Big Bear. These two men were Cree chiefs who were arrested and accused of treason during the North-West Rebellion of 1885. They were both held in Stony Mountain Penitentiary and died of health problems shortly after their release.