Critics calling for public apology from Trudeau over Truth and Reconciliation Day scandal

The apology was reported to be for rejecting an invitation from the chief of the Tk’emlups te Secwepemc Nation to spend Sept. 30 with the community where remains of children were found on May 28, 2021 on the grounds of what used to be a residential school near Kamloops BC.

Sept. 30 had officially been designated as an official day of truth and reconciliation between the Indigenous and the rest of Canada. Trudeau was in the province of BC at the time but chose to go on vacation with his family instead of accepting the chief's invitation.

"It’s every single residential school survivor, intergenerational school survivor — we know that that’s 100 per cent of our communities are impacted by residential schools," commented Lynne Groulx, the CEO of The Native Women’s Association of Canada.

Trudeau initially had a day of private meetings scheduled in Ottawa, so when he appeared in BC, it was thought that he would meet one or more Indigenous leaders in person, but that turned out not to be the case.

It is estimated that 4,000 or more Indigenous children died while attending residential schools across Canada.