Residential school survivor criticizes Trudeau for travelling on National Day for Truth and Reconcil

Residential school survivor criticizes Trudeau for travelling on National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

A residential school survivor says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's decision to travel for a family vacation to Tofino, B.C. on the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation shows "his words don't match his actions."

Evelyn Korkmaz, who survived the St. Anne's residential school in Fort Albany, Ont., criticized the prime minister for instead taking part in a Parliament Hill ceremony on the eve of the new federal statutory holiday meant to honour the children who died in residential schools and the survivors and communities affected by the system.

"It's like celebrating Remembrance Day … or reflecting on Remembrance Day on November the 10th rather than November the 11th," she told CBC News.

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Phillip said the prime minister had been invited twice by the chief of the Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc Nation to attend a commemoration ceremony Thursday. The First Nation is near the site of the former Kamloops residential school where some 200 unmarked graves were discovered this spring.

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"Our office has spoken directly with Chief Casimir today. The prime minister will be reaching out to speak directly with Chief Casimir, and we are making arrangements to visit Tk'emlups te Secwepemc in the near future," he said.


more

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/residential-school-survivor-trudeau-travel-1.6196990


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Unless there was an essential reason to travel yesterday, I think Trudeau made a serious mistake. It was optically and substantively a very poor decision if there was no reason why he absolutely had to travel yesterday and couldn't leave today instead.