Prime Minister announces he will visit T'kemlups

Trudeau to visit Kamloops

Photo: Contributed

Justin Trudeau at press conference, Oct. 6

UPDATE: 9:26 a.m.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced he will be coming to Kamloops to meet with the T’kemlups band.

Trudeau made the announcement on Wednesday morning at a press conference.

The visit comes after Trudeau apologized for his actions on Sept. 30, the first national day of Truth and Reconciliation, when he turned down an invitation from Tk'emlups te Secwepemc to attend a ceremony near Kamloops Indian Residential School, instead choosing to fly to Tofino for a family vacation.

“It was a mistake to travel on that day,” he said, adding that he spoke to Tk'emlups Kukpi7 Rosanne Casimir, and he would be visiting T’kemlups in the near future.

“I’m looking forward to going to the community and sitting down with them in the coming weeks."

The visit will be the first for Trudeau to Kamloops since the May 27 announcement that more than 200 unmarked graves had been found on the grounds of the former residential school.

Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo MP-elect Frank Caputo wrote Trudeau a letter last week requesting he visit the community.

ORIGINAL: 8:49 a.m.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced he will be coming to Kamloops to meet with the T’kemlups band.

Trudeau made the announcement Wednesday morning at a press conference.

The visit comes after Trudeau apologized for his actions on Sept. 30, the first national day of Truth and Reconciliation, when he turned down an invitation from Tk'emlups te Secwepemc to attend a ceremony near Kamloops Indian Residential School, instead choosing to fly to Tofino for a family vacation.

The visit will be the first for Trudeau to Kamloops since the May 27 announcement that more than 200 unmarked graves had been found on the grounds of the former residential school.

Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo MP-elect Frank Caputo wrote Trudeau a letter last week requesting he visit the community.

More to come ...