Important truths from Mr. Trudeau
While Justin Trudeau wore a typically impeccable suit to the United Nations last week, he also brought along some of Canada’s dirtiest laundry for the world to see.
It must have been surprising for Canadians back home — and even jarring for some — to hear their prime minister devote most of his speech to the UN General Assembly to an exposé of how badly this country has treated its Indigenous peoples.
But Trudeau’s choice was sound. This is true even though it means his Liberal government will face new pressure from Canada’s First Nations to translate his fine words into real action. In the fall of 2015, shortly after coming to power, Trudeau proclaimed to the international community that “Canada is back.” There was something too self-congratulatory, even self-centred, in a message crafted to show how superior his Liberals were to the Conservatives they’d just beaten.
But last Thursday in a complete about-face in New York City, Trudeau talked of “Canada’s shame.” He portrayed an ugly Canadian Mr. Hyde instead of the kindly Dr. Jekyll we so often like to display. Trudeau spoke frankly about the forced migration of Indigenous people as well as the treaties that were made and broken with them. He talked about First Nations reserves without safe drinking water and where parents worry their children might kill themselves. Whether it was the continuing fallout of the residential school system or the ongoing violence faced by too many Indigenous women, Trudeau denounced a colonial legacy of “humiliation, neglect and abuse.” Admissions of guilt are seldom so public or comprehensive.
Trudeau could have chosen other subjects and pointed his finger at the current failings of other nations — such as Myanmar or North Korea. Many Canadians, proud of their country’s reputation as an upstanding global citizen, will wish he had. But his speech was refreshingly honest and showed political maturity. It gives him and Canada new credibility on the world stage where so many countries are tired of being lectured for their wrongdoing.
On a practical level, Trudeau’s speech anticipates and counters criticism from countries with even more serious human rights issues who would point to Canada’s shortcomings. Not only did Trudeau own up to our mistakes, he showed how we’re trying to set things right, citing the safe water systems delivered to two dozen Indigenous communities.
One certain result of Trudeau’s speech is that it has further raised expectations of Indigenous Canadians. If he can be criticized for anything in the past, it is for promising First Nations the world and delivering mainly smiles, blandishments and “sunny ways.” After last week’s speech, Trudeau will find it harder than ever to avoid the revolution in Indigenous relations he has so eloquently inspired.