On Thursday, the Governor General and King Charles met with representatives of Canada’s indigenous people.
Chief of the Assembly of First Nations RoseAnne Archibald, president of the Métis National Council Cassidy Caron, and president of the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami Natan Obed were all present at Buckingham Palace and will all be there at the coronation on Saturday.
“Today was a historic day for Indigenous peoples, for Canada, and for our relationship with the Crown,” the governor general said in a statement. “In a meeting with Indigenous leaders just days before his coronation, His Majesty King Charles III demonstrated his commitment to reconciliation.”
As the first Indigenous Governor General of Canada, Simon represents the throne there. According to reports, she was instrumental in planning the engagement, which she referred to as “the first of its kind.”
Simon stated, “The King is aware of the significance of pursuing a path of reconciliation with Canada and Indigenous peoples. “These kinds of discussions are essential. They will take time to develop and form the cornerstones of a new, respectful, and mutually beneficial relationship with Indigenous peoples.
Leading up to his coronation on May 6, the King is welcoming distinguished guests this week. He is only officially meeting Simon and the three Indigenous leaders before the event.
According to Archibald, “that nation-to-nation relationship that we have and continue to have is one of the issues that is important to us.” It was also a chance for us to connect with the King about issues that are important to him, issues that are important to us, and issues that we can work on together.
The hour-long meeting reportedly covered a range of topics, including the environment, entrepreneurship, the repatriation of cultural artefacts from British museums, and the disappearance and death of Indigenous women. The three Indigenous leaders said the discussion was focused on developing a positive connection that may pave the way for more difficult future dialogues, despite requests for the queen to apologise for the wrongs of Canada’s colonial past.
Obed, whose organisation represents Inuit people in Canada, told The Canadian Press, “I don’t think the King has thought that the challenges around the colonial history and a lot of the associated issues with that aren’t going to be on the table.” However, given the actual constraints each of us faces in carrying out our respective institutions’ missions, we must undoubtedly move forward as effectively as we can.
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During his previous trip to Canada in May 2022, King Charles had a meeting with Indigenous leaders of that country. In his final speech in Yellowknife, he expressed how the accounts of the residential school survivors he had met had “deeply moved” him.
“It is really important to us to be able to sit down and share with him who we are as First Nations, Metis, and Inuit, and what our priorities are as a people, and identify the ways that we can work together into the future,” said Caron of the Métis National Council.
The attendees decided to hold another online gathering before the year was up and sent an invitation to the monarch to visit their towns.
Simon stated, “I will continue to press the Crown and all Canadians to take action on reconciliation. In the upcoming years, “I have great hope for an improved Crown-Indigenous relationship.”
The Assembly of First Nations, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, and Métis National Council described the gathering as being about strengthening ties in a joint statement.
The statement read, “His Majesty the King offered information about his interests and goals, including housing, moving forward on problems relating to reconciliation, climate change and Indigenous knowledge. “All leaders acknowledged the fruitfulness of the conversation and felt that the meeting was more than merely symbolic, but rather the beginning of a new relationship with this new Monarch.”
