Justice

Justin Trudeau Declared His Support for Indigenous Communities

April 27th 2016

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau powerfully voiced his support for indigenous communities on Wednesday. His comments followed a meeting with high school students in Saskatoon, Canada, which has a large native population, CBC News reports.  

TrudeauFacebook - facebook.com

"No one pretends to have all the answers to problems facing Indigenous communities," Trudeau wrote in a Facebook post. "But I promise you I will never turn my back on them."

The prime minister vowed to work with indigenous leaders to address the unique challenges that native communities in Canada face.

Those challenges include "impoverishment, inadequate housing, food insecurity, ill-health, and unsafe drinking water," according to human rights organization Amnesty International.

In America, native populations face similar social and economic plights. A 2014 Pew Research Center report found that one in four Native Americans are living in poverty. People living in these communities also suffer from higher unemployment rates and lower levels of education.

PewPew Research Center - pewresearch.org

To his credit, President Barack Obama has put forward initiatives aimed at improving the lives of Native American youth and increased federal aid.

ObamaYouTube - youtube.com

"My administration is determined to partner with tribes, and it's not something that just happens once in a while," Obama said. "It takes place every day, on just about every issue that touches your lives. And that's what real nation-to-nation partnerships look like."

RELATED: Justin Trudeau's Criticism of Americans Is Spot On

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