A Canadian Indigenous leader who met with President Donald Trump at the G7 summit fumed to the press about his anger surrounding the brief meeting.
Tsuu T’ina Minor Chief Steven Crowchild, a leader in one of Canada’s three legally recognized “First Nations,” met Trump on the Calgary tarmac alongside other leaders greeting the president. Speaking with the Associated Press, Crowchild seethed over Trump, saying he was “filled with rage” at the mere thought of meeting with him.
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“It was really intense, to say the least,” he told the outlet about their meeting. “When I woke up on Father’s Day, I didn’t anticipate I would be seeing world leaders, and one certain individual that has caused much pain and suffering in the world.”
“When it came to that one individual, I almost didn’t stay. I was filled with rage,” Crowchild said. “I was going to go home because I didn’t want to bring any negativity to my people. However, I did consult with close people and advisers and, based on feedback, I stayed, considering that visibility is key and diplomacy is important.”
A video of the two’s meeting showed Trump, wearing a white MAGA hat, calmly listening to Crowchild speak.
The tribal minor chief said he spoke his ancestral language with Trump, though it’s unclear if an interpreter was present.
Crowchild said he spoke about promoting peace and “protecting water for future generations.”
“Whether he listened or not, time will tell,” he added.
Crowchild praised his conduct, implying that he chose to be the better person.
“Instead of war, I chose peace. Instead of hate, I chose love. Instead of hostility, I tried my best to show humanity,” he said in a statement. “He was just another person, like the ones I greeted before him (some would say a horrible person and we all know many reasons why). I felt strong with my feather hat, which I received a transfer for yesterday, my treaty suit, my beadwork, and good medicine. I stood taller than him as a proud Tsuut’ina. Close as it gets.”
National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak complained that Indigenous leaders were even part of the welcoming delegation, calling it “tokenism,” APTN News reported. Despite this, she praised Crowchild’s conduct as “diplomacy rooted in land and ancestors.”
Canadian Prime Minister Tim Carney invited First Nation leaders to welcome the G7 leaders as part of the country’s welcoming delegation. Ottawa has a fraught relationship with its Indigenous groups, being one of the few governments to undercut its legitimacy by saying it committed genocide against them.
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Beginning in 2021, unsubstantiated claims of mass graves at old residential schools triggered a series of attacks against the Catholic Church, with arsonists burning down dozens of churches. After dozens of churches were burned or vandalized, former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in 2021 that such anger was “fully understandable, given the shameful history that we are all becoming more and more aware of and engaging ourselves to do better as Canadians.”
Four years later, exhumations haven’t found any human remains at any of the alleged mass graves.