Justin Trudeau, prime minister of Canada, preparing to speak to the General Assembly. He went on at great length, with sporadic applause, to apologize for Canada’s poor treatment of its indigenous people, calling it a “great shame.” CIA PAK/UN PHOTO
By PassBlue – Laura Kirkpatrick – September 21, 2017
One of the biggest criticisms lodged against Justin Trudeau, the prime minister of Canada, has been his lack of commentary on the country’s history with its indigenous people of its First Nations, Métis people and Inuit. In what could be considered a daring move, Trudeau used his time at the General Assembly podium to address this oversight.
Describing this blight in Canada’s history as a “great shame,” Trudeau painted a bleak picture of the legacy of Canada’s paternalistic colonialism on the lives of its First Nations. He spoke to an audience, unusually full for the third day of General Assembly, about parents who wished their children goodnight, unsure if they would be there in the morning, out of fear of youths either running away or taking their own lives because of the limited opportunities indigenous people in Canada face.
Trudeau framed Canada’s reconciliation with its indigenous people to address climate change and equality issues as well. During a media briefing immediately after his remarks, Trudeau was open in his intent to use domestic reconciliation as a platform in the international UN venue, saying it was the best way for Canada to “pave the way to move away from colonial structures and establish new structures which will respect the inherent rights of indigenous people.”
“If I suggest certain countries need to do better on human rights,” Trudeau added, “the response has been ‘tell me about indigenous people’s rights in Canada.’ It’s time we owned our history.”
Trudeau used the briefing to address the global issues not addressed in his speech. If the Trudeau who spoke in the General Assembly was honest about Canada’s history, the Trudeau of the briefing was honest about his agenda for Canada. He focused on, for example, Canada’s strong support for multilateral diplomatic solutions, following the script of many of G7 leaders this week; not surprisingly, it may be related to the fact that Canada is seeking a seat on the Security Council for the 2021-2022 term.
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