Clifford Lebrun, chief of Lhtako Dene Nation, reflected on the resignation and government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau the day after Trudeau gave his announcement to Canadians.
Lebrun told The Observer Trudeau took action to support First Nations in Canada through focusing on clean water, housing, education, child welfare and introducing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).
"Those are all things First Nations brought forward to him through the Assembly of First Nations and the National Chiefs Office. He actually responded to them and answered them," Lebrun said, he emphasized that Trudeau wasn't always perfect and did make mistakes. "All in all he wasn't a bad guy and he did a lot of good stuff."
But Lebrun said he lost some faith in Trudeau since 2019's SNC-Lavalin scandal which saw the government try to influence the then-attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould, an Indigenous leader, to prevent the company from facing prosecution. Wilson-Raybould resigned from Trudeau's cabinet and was expelled from caucus along with former treasury board secretary Jane Phillpot.
Lebrun said he's hoping Lhtako Dene and all First Nations can continue to have positive relationships with whoever succeeds Trudeau, but said if Trudeau was going to resign he should've left sooner to leave the Liberals in a better spot.
Trudeau also apologized to Indigenous peoples for residential schools, which Lebrun said was a huge step in the right direction.
"It meant a lot for the elders and I was there when he did that," Lebrun said. "They went through a lot of hurt and suffering while in there and the government and the church sent them there and they just wanted someone to just admit that they did wrong."
During Trudeau's time in office Lhtako Dene Nation partnered with the federal government on some of its major projects like the construction of the arbour, the longhouse and the health centre which is under construction.
"Down here at the grassroots level, it doesn't seem like what they do over there affects us, but it ultimately does trickle down. It does matter who's in there and who's running things," Lebrun said.
He hopes whoever ends up as prime minister continues to work with First Nations and doesn't work to strip away the good that has been done over the past nine years.
Trudeau resigned Monday (Jan. 6) after months of low performance in the polls and the resignation of deputy prime minister and finance minister Chrystia Freeland. He was elected Liberal leader in 2013 and won the 2015 federal election with a majority. In 2019 and 2021 Trudeau eked out wins but could only form minority governments.
"I thank him for his service and all the work he's done, and let's move on," Lebrun said.
