Tk’emlúps chief Rosanne Casimir standing at the Pow-wow Grounds on Sept. 30, 2021, the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. (Photo by Colton Davies)
The Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc band says a lack of a gesture of support from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on National Day of Truth and Reconciliation was an “insult.”
In a statement released today, the band says it not only wrote to the Prime Minister twice, asking him to take part in the band’s ceremonies on Sept. 30, but says it also offered a chance to pre-record a speech on video that it could’ve aired during its ceremonies.
The band says none of those requests were responded to.
“The lack of response to our invitations was an added insult, as he never extended his personal hand of sympathy to our community once he heard the official announcement on May 27,” the band said, referencing the announcement of preliminary findings of unmarked graves at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School.
“His presence [on Sept. 30] would have exhibited to the world his personal commitment to enacting real change and rectifying the historical wrongs of the residential school system and to personally support grieving Indian residential school survivors. His attendance would have been an acknowledgement to all survivors, their families, and communities – a clear public gesture would have brought peace to many.”
The band also says there is now a date scheduled later this month for Trudeau to visit the band, and the former residential school. It did not say which day, but says it looks forward to his visit. “The focus of this visit needs to be on the real issues of reconciliation not a media event to compensate for his lack of participation on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation,” the band says.
Tk’emlúps is also calling on the federal government to provide attendance records of the KIRS, which it says will be crucial towards identifying lost children. It has also asked for financial support from the federal government for “key projects” relating to identifying former students, and for funding for a Tk’emlúps healing centre.
On Wednesday, Trudeau apologized publicly for his decision to vacation to Tofino on the first National Day of Truth and Reconciliation last week, and said he had apologized personally to Tk’emlúps chief Rosanne Casimir during a weekend phone call.
