Some Indigenous leaders praise Trudeau's government, others point to promises not kept

Jaime Battiste says he likes to think he was loyal to the end.

But over the last several days, the Mi'kmaw member of Parliament says he, too, began to have doubts about whether his embattled boss, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, was still the right person to lead the party into electoral battle.

And so amid infighting, byelection losses and a slump in the polls, it came as no surprise to Battiste, also chair of the Liberal Indigenous caucus, when Trudeau on Monday announced his decision to shut down Parliament until March and resign once the Liberals select a successor.

"When Canadian voters are telling you something, as politicians you have to listen," Battiste said.

"And I respect the prime minister's decision. I know that there were a lot of folks that called for his removal. As chair of Indigenous caucus, I didn't think it was necessary or didn't have the direction from my caucus to make that call."

Some Indigenous leaders are reacting to Trudeau's announcement by praising him for his commitment to reconciliation, while others express disappointment about unfinished business and promises not kept.

Trudeau's move to prorogue the legislature will kill key bills impacting Indigenous people, including bills to provide First Nations with clean drinking water and recognize Métis governments in three provinces.

Battiste called it discouraging to see the long-promised water bill die. But the writing was on the wall for Trudeau and no one was shocked by the decision, he added.

"A lot of these things that were put on the table may just be lost opportunities now, and that's the unfortunate part of all of this," Battiste said.

"But I think that everyone saw that this was a possibility, and it's just unfortunate that it's come to this."

What was on the table included a federal offer of nearly $48 billion over 10 years to reform the on-reserve child welfare system, which chiefs rejected in the fall in favour of renegotiation. 

The Assembly of First Nations (AFN) called on Canada to return to the table with a new mandate from cabinet, but the Liberal party will now be plunged into a leadership contest, which may mean even greater uncertainty for that process.

Abram Benedict, AFN regional chief for Ontario, expects work on the child welfare front to stall now that the prime minister signalled his intention to step down.

"That really now does pause all business of the government, and so we're going to have to deal with that. You know, we're disappointed," he said.

AFN National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak, who worked on Trudeau's federal election campaign in 2015, praised the prime minister.

"During his decade in power, Justin Trudeau has done more to help improve the quality of life for First Nations than any prime minister in the history of this country," Woodhouse Nepinak wrote on social media.

'Unprecedented access'

Inuit leaders also enjoyed the sort of access to cabinet under Trudeau that was not usual under previous Canadian leaders, said Natan Obed, president of national organization Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami. He said the prime minister built real connections with Inuit in communities in all four regions of their homeland.

"The prime minister and the ministers within this government have given leadership unprecedented access to time and to resources to be able to do the much-needed work that needs to be done," Obed said.

David Chartrand, president of the Manitoba Métis Federation, said he believes Trudeau made the right decision.

"I will openly say, too, from the Indigenous world, I think we've never seen a prime minister like him in our history. I've been around for close to 30 years as the president," he said.

"Even Paul Martin was a very close friend of mine. I've never seen a prime minister do as much."

The federation, which is the recognized government of the Red River Métis, recently signed a modern treaty. But with Parliament suspended, the Liberals are unable to table legislation to ratify the treaty.

Chartrand regrets Trudeau also never delivered on his promise to settle the Manitoba Métis land claim, though he believes there is still time to deliver.

"He said he has some regrets... They still are a sitting government, even though they're prorogued. They're still a government," he said.

Trudeau also has his critics, including his own former justice minister and attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould, the first Indigenous person to hold that post.

She resigned from cabinet and was booted from caucus during the SNC Lavalin scandal in 2019. On social media, she said Trudeau "did not sound like he wanted to go [and] was sadly not too gracious," but now the country can turn the page.

"I hope to see an elevation in our discourse beyond petty, toxic partisanship, and a revitalized focus on developing sound public policy to guide our future," she said.

What will happen over the next few months while the Liberals select a leader is up for speculation. The three main opposition parties signalled a desire to have an election as soon as possible.

Chartrand suggested those parties may sing a different tune come March, while Obed said he intends to focus on finding out what work can be done in the leadup to spring budget season.