A momentous occasion in the history of the Williams Lake First Nation was made today (November 25).
Chief Sellars and members of the WLFN Council were in Ottawa to meet with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau who formally delivered an apology for the historic injustices tied to the Nation’s Village Site Specific Claim.
Sellars said they were wrongfully displaced from the City of Williams Lake and thrust into a situation that didn’t allow the Nation to thrive like we have been thriving since time immemorial.
“We hold up the Trudeau Administration and the Liberal Government for the work that they’ve been doing over the years in regards to the Specific Claim process and building relationships with Indigenous people. We are righting historical wrongs and we’re seeing that progress in our Country every single day.”
Sellars said we (WLFN) have to hold up our ancestors, our Elders and we have to celebrate their legacy over the generations to get us to where we are at to this day.
“We had Elders who had passed away during this court battle that testified and gave us this opportunity to be where we are sitting in Ottawa holding up this apology. This victory is not only a victory for the Williams Lake First Nation, it is one of the victories for Indigenous peoples in this Country.”
Prime Minister Trudeau said an apology is a deeply important step, it’s about taking responsibility at large for what happened generations and decades ago but it’s also about a commitment.
“Canada recognizes that this village was an important place for the Williams Lake First Nation. The Government of Canada accepts responsibility for this historic injustice to them, expresses it’s deep regret and sincere apology to the Williams Lake First Nation for the harms suffered by being unlawfully and wrongly dispossessed and separated from Williams Lake First Nation Lands. We are sincerely grateful for the opportunity to reach an agreed settlement with them for this historic injustice and intend that this agreement will foster reconciliation,” Trudeau said.
– with files from Pat Matthews, My Cariboo Now staff
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