Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said it has been a difficult year for many since the discovery of unmarked graves in residential schools and that those expressing anger are justified in doing so.
Trudeau told reporters in Vancouver that Canada was responsible for “horrible things” happening to Indigenous people and that injustices are not isolated in the past.
He said they continue today with socioeconomic inequality, mental health challenges and other legacies of residential schools that require continued action.
Trudeau made the remarks after a tense appearance Monday at a memorial service at the former Kamloops residential school, where he confronted the angry chants of some.
TARGET | Trudeau says the federal government will be a long-term partner for indigenous reconciliation
Trudeau says the federal government will be a long-term partner for indigenous reconciliation
Justin Trudeau reacts to the question he received at the Kamloops Memorial.
He is expected to make an announcement today with British Columbia Prime Minister John Horgan about the 2025 Invictus Games, visit a food bank and attend a liberal fundraiser.
Tk’emlups te Secwepemc announced last May that ground penetration radar had identified up to 215 alleged graves in a residential school’s apple orchard. Trudeau said Canada is still struggling with the discovery.
“There were a lot of people who are still very, very hurt by this and who are angry, and frankly they have a right to be angry,” he said.
Long lines of passports
Trudeau also answered questions about long lineups at passport offices and plans for Canada Soccer to host a friendly match against Iran in Vancouver next month.
People across the country have expressed frustration with the long lineups as they try to receive or renew passports before international travel.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is speaking to reporters in Vancouver on Tuesday. (Rich Lam / The Canadian Press)
The prime minister said the federal government anticipated this rush in December as travel restrictions were lifted and worked to hire 500 new passport office workers to handle the influx.
“We’re handing out about 43,000 new passports a week,” he said. “This is a cold comfort for people who are still struggling, but it would be even worse if we hadn’t started the hiring process earlier this year.”
He also said the alignments have a favorable coating as it indicates a reopening of the economy and international borders after two years of restrictions.
Canada-Iran football match ‘a bad idea’
The families of the victims of flight PS752 outraged by Canada’s football match with Iran
The families of the victims of the fall of flight PS752 are asking Canada Soccer to cancel a planned match with the Iranian football team, saying that they feel betrayed by the move.
Asked about an upcoming football game between the Canadian and Iranian men’s teams, Trudeau reiterated his belief that it was a “bad idea” to host the game in Vancouver, but said it was not his final decision. will allow you to move forward.
Families who lost loved ones in the destruction of flight PS752 are demanding that Canada Soccer abandon its plan for the game, saying they feel “betrayed” by the decision to have the Iranian team in BC, a feeling that the Prime Minister he said he shares.
“I expressed my concern because I think this match was a bad idea,” he said, adding that no funding from Sport Canada has been used to help organize it.