ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

Skip to main content

'Complete letdown': Cindy Blackstock on Trudeau's Tofino trip

Share
Ottawa -

Cindy Blackstock, the executive director of the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society, says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s trip to Tofino, B.C. on the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation was a “complete letdown.â€

In an interview on CTV’s Question Period airing Sunday, Blackstock said the prime minister's actions did not demonstrate that Indigenous Peoples and specifically survivors of the residential school system “are worth his time.â€

“The prime minister decides that he can have a vacation day – he could have had the vacation day tomorrow. I support vacation, I know that they work hard, but not on the very first national day when we’re supposed to be spending the [time] doing the duty of reconciliation,†she said.

Despite a public itinerary that noted that Trudeau was in “private meetings†in Ottawa on Thursday, his office later confirmed he had travelled to the West Coast to spend time with his family.

“Yes the prime minister is spending time in Tofino with family for a few days. And, following his participation in last night’s ceremony marking the first National Day for Truth & Reconciliation, he is speaking today with residential school survivors from across the country,†the statement read.

Trudeau received two invitations to spend the day in Kamloops, B.C. with residential school survivors.

Tk'emlups te Secwepemc Chief Rosanne Casimir told an audience on Thursday she had held out hope that Trudeau would make it for the event.

“But I do know that moving forward, it’s really important that he truly uphold those 10 principles, the guiding principles of working with us as First Nations,†she said.

In a tweet, the prime minister said he spent time speaking on the phone with residential school survivors getting their advice on “meaningful†reconciliation.

Parliament passed a bill last June to create an annual National Day for Truth and Reconciliation each Sept. 30. It is a statutory holiday for federal workers but the Liberal government has said it's intended to be a day of reflection, akin to Remembrance Day, not just a day off work.

Politicians weighed in on Twitter with their criticism of the leader’s actions.

Conservative MP Shannon Stubbs tweeted “More atrocious conduct from Trudeau at a time when many communities are looking for leadership. Canada now has the most narcissistic, self-interested Prime Minister in our history.â€

Meanwhile, NDP MP Charlie Angus said “He couldn't have been blunter if he tried. While the nation was struggling to heal and come to terms with the trauma of the attempted destruction of Indigenous people, Justin Trudeau was surfing.â€

In a separate interview on CTV’s Question Period, Trudeau’s colleague Health Minister Patty Hajdu said she can’t speak to the prime minister’s schedule but instead remarked on the significance of the day.

“Listen, this is a day that is the first in our country, it’s a day to remind Canadians about the importance of listening to Indigenous voices and Indigenous people, and that’s exactly what happened across this country,†she said.

With a file from The Canadian Press

IN DEPTH

Opinion

opinion

opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster

A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?

opinion

opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike

When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.

CTVNews.ca ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

Three men were injured after trying to subdue a man armed with a knife during afternoon prayers at a Montreal-area mosque Friday afternoon.

A 15-year-old boy who was the subject of an emergency alert in New Brunswick has been arrested.

Police have arrested an 18-year-old woman who allegedly stole a Porsche and then ran over its owner in an incident that was captured on video.

Since she was a young girl growing up in Vancouver, Ginny Lam says her mom Yat Hei Law made it very clear she favoured her son William, because he was her male heir.

The search for a missing six-year-old boy in Shamattawa is continuing Friday as RCMP hope recent tips can help lead to a happy conclusion.

Local Spotlight

Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.

An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.

They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.

A Good Samaritan in New Brunswick has replaced a man's stolen bottle cart so he can continue to collect cans and bottles in his Moncton neighbourhood.

Stay Connected