Justin Trudeau exonerates Tsilhqot’in chiefs: Watch the PM’s full apology
The PM will acknowledge a group of six B.C. chiefs were wrongly convicted and hanged in 1864
The Peace Tower is cast in afternoon light on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Wednesday, Dec 14, 2016. The House of Commons unanimously voted Wednesday afternoon to rise for the Christmas break. (Sean Kilpatrick/CP)
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After question period today, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau rose in the House of Commons to officially exonerate Tsilhqot’in chiefs who were convicted of murder and executed in B.C. in 1864—several years before the province joined Canada. The chiefs were hanged after they’d received false invitations to “peace talks,” and ended up being arrested and charged. Trudeau’s acknowledgement follows a similar statement by former B.C. premier Christy Clark in 2014. A delegation of the Tsilhqot’in National Government travelled to Ottawa and witnessed the statement in person.
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