Some Indigenous people reacted to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s announcement this week that he would resign once the Liberals select a successor by praising him for his commitment to reconciliation, but others are pointing to unkept promises.
Russ Diabo, a Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) policy analyst, said he’s “not a big fan” of the Trudeau government.
“I’ve been a critic of the Trudeau government’s approach because they’ve used basically a communications strategy of talking about reconciliation,” said Diabo.
Diabo does give the Trudeau government credit though for increased spending on Indigenous programs.
According to the 2024 federal budget, the Liberals increased spending in Indigenous communities to more than $30 billion in 2024 from $11 billion in 2016.
However, Diabo said the money was invested into the current “colonial Indian system,” referring to how the government works with …