Local First Nations members and supporters gathered at Chesterman Beach on a stormy Saturday evening to demand a public apology from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for travelling to Tofino on the country鈥檚 first National Day of Truth and Reconciliation.
鈥淚t鈥檚 sad that we don鈥檛 expect much from leadership anymore. It鈥檚 sad that we have to stand here in the rain, in the middle of a pandemic following an election just to be heard, but here we are,鈥� Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation member Hjalmer Wenstob said in front of the gathering of roughly 20 people outside the beachfront property the prime minister is currently staying in.
and was not seen at , though his office suggested he was spending the day speaking with residential school survivors from across Canada.
Wenstob and his brother Timmy Masso were the lead speakers at Saturday鈥檚 gathering and also presented a written statement demanding an apology.
鈥淲e are disheartened that you did not use this day to further your own personal education, and answer the call and responsibility as Prime Minister to observe, attend, and bear witness to the many events of Truth and Reconciliation,鈥� the letter reads, in part. 鈥淚t is with heavy hearts to hear that you did not attend the event in Kamloops, where you were invited by the Tk鈥檈ml煤ps te Secwepemc band, and instead took time to holiday in our ha鈥檋outhee.鈥�
Trudeau did not come outside to address the gathering in person.
鈥淪adly, Trudeau didn鈥檛 come out, but we did get a member of his staff to come out and accept our statement on his behalf and we鈥檙e to expect a response from the Prime Minister鈥檚 office within a few days,鈥� Wenstob said.
Masso told the Westerly that the prime minister鈥檚 visit to Tofino was both disheartening and disrespectful.
鈥淲e use reconciliation as a word right now, but recently it seems like a hollow word. It doesn鈥檛 seem like there鈥檚 really that much action that鈥檚 going into it and it鈥檚 quite sad to say that because I don鈥檛 want to be looking at the dark, but when we talk about reconciliation and then our prime minister goes and vacations, it鈥檚 kind of a double standard鈥f one sitting prime minister were to take a vacation on Remembrance Day, the whole country would be in an uproar,鈥� Masso said.
鈥淚 think a lot of people are angry. I think there鈥檚 a lot of people within the Nation and other Nations that were quite angry that our prime minister didn鈥檛 go and attend these events and didn鈥檛 spend that time to educate himself. But, in what we鈥檙e doing today, we have to put aside our anger, we have to put aside our frustrations鈥e have to follow the teachings of iisaak, which is respect. In going forward to make change, we have to put aside our anger and our frustration.鈥�
He said he hopes Trudeau will publicly acknowledge that spending the country鈥檚 first National Day of Truth and Reconciliation in Tofino was a mistake.
鈥淚n Nuu-chah-nulth culture and Nuu-chah-nulth protocols, whenever you make a mistake, you acknowledge that. That鈥檚 what we were hoping for here today, that he would stand up and acknowledge what he did and acknowledge that he did not stand with our people on this Day of Truth and Reconciliation,鈥� he said. 鈥淢oving forward, I really hope that our prime minister will put a statement out and not just a statement, but actually have his voice heard by all of Canada, saying that he did make a mistake and he鈥檚 going to correct it now.鈥�
Wenstob added that reconciliation cannot happen without respect.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of work to start building relations and the work that鈥檚 been done by so many people before us to even get to a point where we have a National Day of Truth and Reconciliation, is the start of work, but the start is to be respectful. That鈥檚 where it has to start. We can鈥檛 do work of truth or reconciliation without respect, and we can鈥檛 build relationships without respect. It鈥檚 the first thing you need to have and it鈥檚 sad that it鈥檚 clearly evident that it鈥檚 not here,鈥� he said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 sad that we have to come and gather and do this just to be heard and at the same time not be heard. We鈥檝e seen so many people who have put their hearts and souls into this day and so many people who have stepped up to answer the call and here we are and the leader of the country refuses to do that and decides to take a vacation. The word respect can鈥檛 even be in that conversation yet.鈥�
andrew.bailey@westerlynews.ca
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