Prime Minister Justin Trudeau exonerates Chief Poundmaker, apologizes for conviction

It took the federal government 134 years but on Thursday Prime Minister Justin Trudeau finally exonerated a Saskatchewan chief of treason and apologized for the conviction of the Indigenous leader who “made his indelible mark” on Canada’s history. The exoneration of Chief Poundmaker, also known under his Cree name as Pihtokahanapiwiyin , was announced at the reserve that bears his name -- Poundmaker Cree Nation -- about 200 kilometres northwest of Saskatoon. Following prayers and traditional drumming, Trudeau told a crowd that the government must acknowledge wrongs of the past and that Poundmaker was unjustly convicted of treason-felony in 1885. “We recognize that during his lifetime, Chief Poundmaker was not treated justly nor showed the respect he deserved as a leader of his people,” Trudeau told hundreds of people who had joined the reconciliation ceremony on the windy prairie plain. “We know that the colonial perspectives which dominated relations between Indigenous peoples and the Crown did not allow for open and collaborative dialogue.” (listen to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's apology) ListenEN_Interview_3-20190523-WIE30 'Make right by the Poundmaker Cree Nation' Prime Minister Justin Trudeau kneels Thursday at the site of Chief Poundmaker's grave. (Bonnie Allen/CBC News) The federal government has a “duty to take an honest look” at this difficult chapter of Canadian history and “make right by the Poundmaker Cree Nation,” he said. “It is my sincere hope that by coming together today and taking this important step together as equal partners, we can continue the important work of reconciling the past and renewing our relationship.” Trudeau to apologize and exonerate an historical Indigenous leader Assembly of First Nations (AFN) National Chief Perry Bellegarde congratulated the federal government for “getting it right.” “Because this man that we’re honouring he was a diplomat for our people, he was a statesman for our people, he was a chief, a leader and he was a warrior, but he didn’t use a gun to fight he used the pipe and he brought peace,” Bellegarde said. The exoneration of Chief Poundmaker and the prime minister's apology are an opportunity to address a past injustice and correct the historical record, Bellegarde said. A diplomat, a statesman and a peacemaker Chief Poundmaker is credited with saving many lives during the 1885 Northwest Rebellion. (Library and Archives Canada) In a brief historical discourse, Trudeau reminded the audience of Chief Poundmaker’s achievements and struggles. According to oral tradition, Chief Poundmaker’s role as an influential leader began in 1873, with the conclusion of peace negotiations between the Cree and the Blackfoot nations. Known as the “Peacemaker” by the Indigenous peoples of the Northern Plains, Chief Poundmaker had tried to maintain peaceful relations and open dialogue between the Cree and European settlers. In 1876, Poundmaker was part of the Cree delegation at Fort Carlton where Treaty 6 was concluded with Alexander Morris, Lieutenant-Governor of the Northwest Territories and Treaty Commissioner. In the years following the signing of Treaty 6, Chief Poundmaker, along with others such as Big Bear or Mistahimaskwa, pushed government officials to live up to the promises and obligations laid out in the Treaty, often with frustrating results, Trudeau said. But by the winter of 1885, the combination of a depleted bison population, cuts to government aid and fundamental disagreements regarding the implementation of treaty promises resulted in wide-spread dissatisfaction in the Prairies. “In the push to settle Western Canada, and guided by colonial thinking and policies, the federal government sought to exert increased control over Indigenous peoples,” Trudeau said. “Tension between the Canadian government, Métis, First Nations and settlers eventually amounted to a conflict known as the Northwest Resistance.”