Canada's Trudeau visits First Nations community after snubbing indigenous leader's invitation

Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Kukpi7 Rosanne Casimir speak to the media and Tk'emlups te Secweepemc community members and First Nations leaders at the Tk'emlups Pow wow Arbour in British Columbia, Canada, October 18, 2021. REUTERS/Jennifer Gauthier

(Reuters) - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday visited the Tk’emlúps te Secwe̓pemc community and the unmarked burial sites of indigenous children after snubbing the First Nation's invitation on Canada's first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation last month.

"I am here today to say I wish I had been here a few weeks ago, and I deeply regret it," Trudeau told the community in British Columbia, adding he wanted to extend his hand to Tk’emlúps te Secwe̓pemc and all First Nations "who have every reason in the world to feel pessimistic and bleak about the future and instead choose hope."