Video of PM ‘an eye-opener’: councillor

A Kawacatoose First Nation councillor says she filmed and uploaded a video of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau meeting in Saskatoon with First Nations leaders because she thought he was “truly not listening,” and hoped showing what happened would lead to better communication.

“It’s done so that we could feel like, ‘OK, this is how it went the first time. The second time perhaps maybe it will be better,’” Sheila Kay-Machiskinic, a firstterm councillor from the First Nation near Punnichy southeast of Saskatoon, said Tuesday in an interview.

“Perhaps it’s an eye-opener for the general public, too, for them to see how we really are treated in Saskatchewan ... I just think we are in it together to make it better, and that goal, that way of thinking, has to be our way of thinking from now on.”

The almost four-minute video surfaced online Sunday, four days after the prime minister — who was in Saskatoon for the Liberal Party of Canada’s caucus retreat — had an 8 a.m. closed-door meeting with Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations chiefs.

A government official said eight First Nations leaders were expected but more than that attended the meeting. In an interview with Maclean’s on Monday, the prime minister said “50 to 60” leaders showed up, which he found frustrating.

In the video clip published online, Trudeau appeared to express frustration about “time management,” saying the first portion of the hour-long meeting went longer than expected, leaving little time for the concerns of others who attended the meeting expecting an opportunity to address him.

“I’m really, really upset with this. It wasn’t for me to interrupt previous speakers, but (FSIN Chief ) Bobby (Cameron), there shouldn’t have been every single person speaking for eight minutes,” Trudeau can be heard saying in the video.

“Ultimately, this was a time management issue that caused some chiefs to not have time to speak,” Cameron said Monday in a statement, which went on to note that “in the future, time will be set aside for those First Nations who didn’t receive the opportunity” to address Trudeau.

Both Cameron and the government have suggested the tension evident in the leaked clip does not reflect the entirety of the meeting.

Cameron did not respond to requests for an interview on Monday and Tuesday.

While some have criticized Trudeau for his attitude toward First Nations chiefs, Assembly of First Nations Chief Perry Bellegarde told The Canadian Press he was not “overly concerned” because chairing meetings with the prime minister can be difficult.