‘It was a mistake’: Justin Trudeau apologizes for Tofino trip on Truth and Reconciliation Day
Posted October 6, 2021 8:53 am.
Last Updated October 6, 2021 9:02 am.
OTTAWA – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has publicly apologized for taking a family vacation to Tofino on the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
Speaking Wednesday, Trudeau said he regrets the decision to travel on Sept. 30.
“It was a mistake to travel on that day. This is an important moment for Canada and for Canadians to reflect not just on the past but on the present. I was in error to choose to travel on that day, and I apologized directly to Chief (Rosanne) Casimir for not having attended the event that she invited me to,” he said.
NEW: Prime Minister @JustinTrudeau addresses his vacation beginning on the first National Day of Truth and Reconciliation.
Says it "was a mistake and I regret it"#cdnpoli— Cormac Mac Sweeney (@cmaconthehill) October 6, 2021
The prime minister directly apologized to the chief of the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc in Kamloops after two invitations from the First Nation went unanswered.
The Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc had asked Trudeau to join residential school survivors and their families on Sept. 30 but had not heard back.
“I want to thank Chief Casimir of Tk’emlúps for the conversation we had over the weekend,” he said. “I committed to going to visit the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc community in the coming weeks.”
Related video: Trudeau apologizes to First Nations chief after Tofino trip
He says there’s a lot of work left to do, and that he is “committed to doing it.”
Trudeau’s initial public itinerary had showed he was in “private meetings” on the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. That was later updated to reflect his actual location.
Reports of Trudeau’s trip coinciding with the historic day drew widespread backlash from Indigenous leaders and communities, who felt it was disrespectful for the prime minister not to take part in events to honour those who never returned from residential schools.
