Prince Charles’s Canadian tour will ‘engage with indigenous communities’

It’s still so funny to me to think of Prince Charles’s successful schemes and how easily he kneecapped two problematic royal courts. First, he sent the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on their Caribbean Flop Tour last month. I believe Charles didn’t even have to give William and Kate any specific instructions, he knew that if he left them to their own devices, they would f–k it up completely. He barely lifted a finger and he damaged their reputations and took them down several pegs. Next up, he sent the Earl and Countess of Wessex on their Caribbean Tour, knowing that they would be met with empowered Caribbean leaders, as well as Caribbean populations who were f–king tired of royal bullsh-t. It’s all been going according to plan. And now it’s time for Charles and Camilla’s big Jubbly tour to Canada. Statesman Chuck, coming through.

The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall are to put indigenous communities at the heart of their upcoming Canadian tour, as they emphasise “listening” in the wake of recent controversial royal visits. The Prince and Duchess are expected to acknowledge the treatment of indigenous people in Canada’s residential schools during their three-day tour next month, with an expressed wish to “learn from” communities.

Announcing details of the tour, senior aides to the Prince emphasised his long ties with indigenous communities, and the couple’s hope to “meet with, listen to and celebrate with Canadians from coast to coast to coast”. Within hours of landing in the Commonwealth country, the couple will take part in a “solemn moment of reflection and prayer” in a garden dedicated to indigenous victims of the school system which saw thousands of children abused.

“Throughout the tour, Their Royal Highnesses will take the opportunity to continue to engage with indigenous communities,” said Chris Fitzgerald, the Prince’s deputy private secretary. “Over five decades, His Royal Highness continues to learn from indigenous peoples in Canada and around the world. He recognises their deep ties to the land and water and the critical traditional knowledge they hold to restore harmony between people and nature.”

During the visit, which was at the invitation of the Canadian government, the Prince and Duchess will also hail the country’s response to refugees and meet members of Canada’s Ukrainian community, the largest outside Europe.

The tour runs from May 17 to 19th, travelling 2,000 miles from Newfoundland and Labrador, to Ottawa and then the Northwest Territories.

[From The Telegraph]

I mean… it’s only three days long? Most of those three days will be spent in the air, traveling across Canada at a sprint. I think it’s kind of insulting that Chuck and Cam are going for such a brief visit, but I also understand that Charles probably doesn’t want to leave the UK for very long. He has no idea what his dumbass relatives will get up to in his absence. Anyway, of course Charles’s aides are making sure to do and say all of the right things ahead of the tour. I bet Charles and Camilla won’t swan around in new couture or greet Black people from behind a chainlink fence.

Photos courtesy of Instar, Avalon Red.

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

76 Responses to “Prince Charles’s Canadian tour will ‘engage with indigenous communities’”

Comments are Closed

We close comments on older posts to fight comment spam.

  1. Iforget says:

    Perhaps they will remember not to giggle at sacred Indigenous ceremonies this time 🙄

    • yarema says:

      Yeah exactly. They were so ignorant on their last trip I hope they are held to account. Indigenous Canadians are not pushovers and I doubt they are just going to stand mutely by as photo props.

    • P says:

      I was horrified to see their response to the traditional singing in 2017. It was inexcusable. Just like Edward’s offensive response recently. It shows ignorance and poor briefing on behalf of staff; condescension and poor comprehension on behalf of the principal.

    • bobslaw says:

      Chaz better do this homework because this is not the moment for him to show his ass.

  2. Lori says:

    Oh really, plans to giggle and mock our indigenous singers again this time? Will they even comment on the discovery of unmarked childrens graves at residntial schools? On MMIW? Fcuk off home out of it C&C

  3. Brassy Rebel says:

    And what could possibly go wrong? This is the same couple who dissolved in giggles listening to indigenous throat singers on their last Canadian trip. Good Lord.

  4. Laura-Lee MacDonald says:

    I truly hope that this is also a flop and accelerates the republican conversation in Canada.

    • FeministYeah says:

      Hear hear!

    • Melissa says:

      Here’s the thing. They’re not even going close to the major aukranian communities in the country (Canadian-ukranian here). They’re hardly touching on indigenous lands. And 3 days to fly across our country three times? What a waste. I used to live in Newfoundland. You touch down and outside of the small capital city there’s nothing for a long stretch, so they can’t be leaving St. John’s. Meaning they can at best go for a pint and some cod. Ottawa, well that’s the capital. And NWT is wildly secluded. What is actually the point of this? 3 days is a joke.

      • Christine says:

        Yeah, Melissa, this is like anyone showing up in the US for three days, and expecting to understand everything about the country by hitting up Miami, NYC, and LA.

  5. Krista says:

    Let’s hope this time he and his cow of a wife don’t end up laughing at indigenous people’s culture again.

  6. L4Frimaire says:

    Was this part of the original tour or an amendment since Invictus announced they’d be working with Indigenous nations? Let’s hope Camilla can contain her joker smirk during all this reflection and reconciliation. Her last encounter with Indigenous people was to laugh at their performance.

    • JaneBee says:

      @L4FRIMAIRE Came here to say exactly this! CH read the Invictus post and immediately hit Ctrl+C 😂

  7. Chaine says:

    So visiting the second largest country in the world in terms of land mass and they are only giving it three days? Not Canadian myself but I would be insulted. It’s the f’ing Jubbly Tour, he should go to at least one stop in every province!!!

  8. Myjobistoprincess says:

    Canada is already starting recognize and pay up for past mistakes. Charles is just piggy backing on something he has nothing to do with. If he goes to canada the idea that he can take some credit for their efforts in reparation – well good luck, I hope all the islands will come back and ask for reparation. +India. They should get back the Kohinoor on the Queen’s crown.

  9. Well Wisher says:

    This is in keeping with reconciliation and acknowledgement of the Indigenous nations.
    The Canadian funeral service for Prince Philip had an eloquent Inuit Chief who spoke warmly about their relationship.

    Next, our current Governor General is
    also from the First Nations.

    This trip is of mutual interest, unlike the jaunts of the Caribbean by the Wessexes and especially the Cambridges. Unfortunately the Queen is unable to be the go to person due to her age.

    Having survived a coup, where in one of its instigators pled their First Amendment Rights in Canada: coupled with the uncertainty of a possibile future Trump presidency, it is fitting to under score the importance of an constitutional monarchy.

    We cannot allow the fears of our children become a reality.
    In this environment Canada nor Greenland is unsafe.

    • Well Wisher says:

      The last sentence should read:
      “In this volitile environment neither Canada nor Greenland is safe.”

  10. Tan says:

    Please do not come and please do not use indigenous ppl as ur get out of colonialism talks card. Signed a fellow Canadian – who is also a settler.

    • Simons-snomis says:

      Most of the Indigenous people actually are very pro-monarchy. They have a very clear understanding that their constitutional relationship is with the Crown, not with Canada. I remember reading an article a decade ago that chiefs of several tribes went to London to see the Queen, asking her to sort out a grievance they perceived that they suffered from the federal Canadian government. The Queen obviously could not intervene out of her constitutional obligation, but it put a huge amount of pressure on the then Canadian government, after all, they were HM’s Canadian government.

      • KFG says:

        Who told you that lie? Indigenous and First Nations peoples are not pro-Monarchy. They don’t support the people who benefitted the most from their decimation and continued subjugation. That’s like saying the majority of Caribbean peoples support the monarchy. No one likes the inbred fools except yt supremacists.

      • Stef says:

        First Nations if Canada are not generally “pro monarchy”. Not sure who told you that but it’s not true.

      • Jaded says:

        First Nations peoples in Canada have raised concerns about what they see as a crumbling relationship between their people and the Crown, fueled by the failure of the federal and provincial cabinets to resolve land claim disputes. Add to that the horrors of residential schools and you have a perfect storm of anti-monarchist sentiment. No visit by C&C will do anything to repair it.

    • KrystinaJ says:

      @Simons-snomis
      First Nations person here. We are NOT Pro-Monarchy. We just recognize that in order to get out from beneath the UK, there are A LOT of Treaties that would need to (And SHOULD) be revised.
      You don’t speak for us.

  11. C says:

    I saw some people on Instagram defending their behavior during the throat-singing as “well, the point is that one or the other singers always ends up laughing, so laughing is appropriate!”
    ….I can’t with people.

  12. Sue E Generis says:

    I hope they do laugh at Indigenous culture. It just further exposes what they’re really like. Actually, the fact that they’re driven to giggle and mock like kindergarteners whenever they are exposed to anything not traditionally British really highlights how insular and unsophisticated they are. It underscores that they are out of touch with the times and therefore irrelevant.

  13. MerlinsMom1018 says:

    Ohhhh boy.
    THAT should go well 🙄

  14. smegmoria says:

    This is rich. So they have the same tour plans that these other tours have and expect a different result.

    • Myjobistoprincess says:

      Canada is reconizing and starting to give reparation for past mistakes. Charles sent the others (wessexes & cambridges) to the lion’s den and he going in safer territory.

      • L4Frimaire says:

        @myjobistoprincess, Why is the Caribbean considered a lions den? With the exception of Jamaica and Trinidad, most of these islands have populations way below a million people, their biggest export are people in the form of immigrants, and they have fairly stable democratic governments. Is it a lion’s den when you go on your vacations to Caribbean resorts and sip rum punches on the beaches? All those cruise ships and yachts docked in the lion’s den. Why would you characterize these people this way because they want accountability from their former colonial rulers? So Indigenous communities in Canada demanding reconciliation is ok and safe, but Black Caribbean countries wanting the same is not? Please explain because I really want to know. P.s. there are no lions in the Caribbean outside of zoos.

      • smegmoria says:

        Canada making the same points will (unfortunately due to racism) make a bigger impact internationally. I can’t imagine it will only be indigenous people’s making these points when they go to Canada.

      • Tan says:

        Canada still is allying themselves with companies and lobby groups to force various indigenous ppl off their own land – see the current situation in Fairy Creek and lack of any progress on the Truth and reconciliation report.

  15. Noo says:

    The telegraph should do some journalistic style work and realize it is Indigenous with a capital I.

    I’m with other posters, all of this seems very performative given the Invictus announcement, and since the BRF and colonist Britain helped to put those residential and day schools together along with the Treaties and Indian Act which were all important instruments of Confederation in Canada.

    The state sponsored genocide of Indigenous kids in the schools is an issue that still requires so much light to be shone on it and a lot healing. However, really curious how C+C are going to go about this, will they implicate themselves in any way to the harm that has been done and the reparations and healing that are needed now? I would be so surprised if this was anything less than an absolute disaster.

  16. Margot says:

    If the comments section of our national newspaper (frequented by a lot of old farts) is anything to go by, they are not welcome around here!

  17. Kaylove says:

    As an indigenous person living in Canada – no. immediately no.

  18. Stef says:

    Being a part of my Canadian First Nations community and knowing these two puppets are only going to 2-3 provinces, is insulting. They claim to be visiting First Nations coast to coast, yet that’s clearly BS if they are only here for 3 days. So they’ll visit with 2 bands on the East Coast and Territories and us Canadians are supposed to be grateful?

    As others have said, they are piggy backing of the Truth and Reconciliation momentum and it just seems like, well… tokenism.

    These two are a joke and no one wants them here.

    • Madchester says:

      Also, if they actually wanted to work on First Nation issues or help, shouldn’t they go to Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation?
      Or one of the many other sites found with children’s bodies? This is nothing more than their normal virtue signaling and hand waving they are famous for. I’m sad some First Nations will participate and give this visit credibility.

      • Stef says:

        Yes, well said. I thought I’d this also and wondered where they will choose to visit and how that will be received by the bands.

  19. OriginalLaLa says:

    There is a small chance they may be coming to my workplace – if they do, ya’ll know I’ll be wearing a shirt with Meghan’s face on it/some other form of protest!

    • MsIam says:

      You should do like that school kid and ask Charles & Camilla about Meghan and Harry and see if they say “Wha’ else?” I’m just kidding, I don’t want you to get in trouble at work, lol.

    • Jaded says:

      See if you can get your hands on an Invictus Games t-shirt!

    • Surly Gale says:

      If you do, I hope you wear your orange ‘Every Child Matters’ shirt ~ that would be epic!!
      Invictus t-shirt next best and oh, my, a T w/Meg’s face would be good too. I love the way you think, whatever you end up wearing!

    • Charfromdarock says:

      @originallala, given their itinerary they will most likely drive by my house. It has crossed my mind to rent a billboard 😂

  20. HeatherC says:

    This is all part of the “please keep us Jubbly tour.” He’ll meet with indigenous communities and leaders and “remind” them that the treaties they have with the Crown will always be so much better than anything Canada can come up with if they decide to ditch the monarch.

    Also, three days? Wow. I’ll be attending a music festival at that time in one place and its FOUR days long!

    • kirk says:

      I read somewhere that even if Canada decided to lose the monarchy, that the First Nations treaties with the Crown would not be affected, i.e. they would still be intact despite Canada’s changing form of government. Don’t know practical implications.

    • Nic919 says:

      The obligations created under the royal proclamation of 1763 and subsequent caselaw in canada could be transferred to whatever entity succeeded the crown. The government of canada is the one doing the practical aspects of this in any case. (And challenging cases inappropriately but that’s another story).

      I should note that the basis for Canadian obligations toward Indigenous peoples would also apply to the US government because in 1763 this proclamation covered what is now US territory.

  21. beff says:

    Wonder if they’ll swing by California while in N America? You know, since PC is desperate to meet his granddaughter?

    • Amy Bee says:

      My guess is no, they won’t.

    • Nedsdag says:

      Funny, a real man would do this, but not Chulls and his Whorse wife. Whoever said he was a “fantastic grandfather” should’ve been slapped silly for that phrase. A “fantastic grandfather” would’ve visited his son and his family after his window dressing appearance at Barbados’s independence ceremony last year.

    • equality says:

      Would be funny if he did because you know William would be incandescent.

  22. Amy Bee says:

    No mention of Britain’s role in the genocide of Indigenous people in Canada. The Pope apologised for its role in the schools, is Charles going to do the same?

    • Sunny in CA says:

      This was my question. If the Pope can apologize, surely the BRF must know that the same will be asked of them.

  23. Louise says:

    Charles, when you are chatting with our Indigenous people, please explain to us exactly where your mother took those 10 or so children she walked off with from a residential school during an unreported visit back in the 60s, and who were never heard from again.

    • Lou says:

      Uhhhh @Louise are you actually suggesting the Queen stole some kids back in the 60s? What incident are you referring to?

      • Lou says:

        Found it. A debunked conspiracy theory based on a picnic and visit she never did. Take your Q nonsense elsewhere.

  24. Liz Version 700 says:

    Sure, no one is better at sensitivity that Charles and Cammy. They can laugh and mock singers again, mock a few school children and ignore generally continue the decline of the house of Windsor.

  25. Eurydice says:

    I love how the article makes a point of saying that Canada invited them. If Charles can pull this off without looking too stupid it will be called a major triumph.

    • Jaded says:

      In any of the articles written about their visit, nothing is mentioned that Canada invited them, just that they *announced* the tour on April 11. I’ll be very interested in seeing what our GG Mary Simon has to say to them, being that she’s Inuit. At least she had the decency to meet with some of our Invictus Games athletes to thank them for their service and commitment.

    • Amy Bee says:

      @Eurydice: The royals are never invited. They write to the Governor General saying they want to visit and then if there’s agreement from the Government, a formal invitation is sent to BP.

  26. [insert_catchy_name] says:

    As a Canadian it is always really annoying that the royals go to Canada when they want a “safe” tour. I hope they end up with egg on their faces (metaphorically).

    • JaneBee says:

      @[INSERT_CATCHY_NAME] Arguably, Canada shares this dubious privilege with New Zealand and Australia.

  27. tamsin says:

    Invictus is going to consult and collaborate with Indigenous peoples and organizations. That is progress. I assume Charles is going to “Listen and Learn.” See the difference? And this info re Charles’s trip came out after the Invictus announcement? Indigenous people have always been asked to “perform” for the royals on their tours. Seriously, Canada does not need Charles to “Listen and Learn.” He would be of no use whatsoever in regards to Truth and Reconciliation.

  28. Tigerlily says:

    Western Canadian Metis here. I may be wrong but I didn’t think Newfoundland and Labrador had a significant Indigenous population. Nunavut does for sure but if they want to ‘connect’ with Indigenous people why ignore Prairie provinces that have large percentage Indigenous population? Not that I want them to come here. It’s all performative.

    • Stories says:

      Tigerlily, I am mixed settler, and Mi’kmaq/assimilated Newfoundland Indigenous ancestry. Newfoundland is home to the oldest British colonial settlement (Cupers/Cupids) in North America. The province has a deep history of trans-Atlantic fisherman marrying Indigenous women. My own family oral traditions speak of British ships shooting Indigenous people dead on the beaches along the west coast. My ancestors and close family learned to hide their identity, and assimilated to survive. What has resulted is a loss of culture, knowledge and traditions. To add further insult, Joey Smallwood omitted Indigenous peoples from the Terms of Union with Canada in 1949. As a result, Canada did not recognize Indigenous peoples in NFL, and there are very few reserves and a large, landless Nation (Qalipu). In sum, a large population of Indigenous and assimilated mixed Indigenous peoples in NFL continue to fight for recognition of our inherent Rights and Title as per the Royal Proclamation of 1763.

      A reminder to folks posting: Indigenous is always capitalized, and peoples is always plural to respect the incredible diversity in what is now known as Canada. Please refrain from using possessive terms (our First Nations). Indigenous peoples are not objects to possess.

      • JaneBee says:

        @Stories Non-Canadian here – appreciate you taking the time to share this background. Beyond the recent mainstream coverage of the horrific history of the Canadian residential school system, this is a personal knowledge gap. I’m always grateful for the information and personal insight the Celebitchy community generously shares, in addition to the gossip.

    • Stories says:

      @JaneBee thank you for your kind words! Likewise; I am grateful to have learned so much through the experiences and histories shared by the many diverse people within the Celebitchy community. I must clarify that although I celebrate my mixed Indigenous ancestry, I also recognize that my lived experience is much different than that of my grandfather, and thus I have benefited from all the privileges that come with being of light complexion in Canada. My grandfather is visibly Indigenous and suffered as a result. Canada is a country founded on the dispossession, genocide and erasure of Indigenous peoples. The residential school system, Indian hospitals, forced sterilization, MMIWG (missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls), the 60’s scoop, and overrepresentation of Indigenous children in the child welfare system are but a few of the mechanisms used by Canada to perpetuate the dispossession of Indigenous Peoples. The last federally-funded residential school closed in 1997, and the intergenerational trauma and loss of culture continues to devastate families and communities today. In fact, Hitler admired Canada’s residential school system so much that he modelled his genocidal policies and concentration camps on it. Similarly, the policies that led to Apartheid in South Africa were also based on Canada’s residential schools. We hold a secretive, dark legacy in Canada, as colonization has not ended; it continues through legislation like the Indian Act. My thoughts are that the Royal family owe a great debt to Indigenous peoples, and the only way for them to meaningfully reconcile their atrocious legacy is to return the land to Indigenous peoples that was ruthlessly stolen under the auspices of the crown.

  29. Robin Sanuels says:

    Thank you, Rosalee, for the distinction between Indigenous and First Nation.
    Charles has some sense of diplomacy when dealing with Commonwealth nations through years of exposure and experience. Since the Royal Family is a firm, there should be an SOP guide on Commonwealth visits. He allowed The Cambridge and Wessex to enter a sensitive territory with little or no guidance, and he knew what they would face. He enjoys watching his family squirm; now, he and Queen Consort will travel to Canada and demonstrate the correction procedure. The monarchy’s reputation will bruise under the leadership of Charles and William.

  30. Shawna says:

    This will be such an interesting test case. If anyone in the RF could possibly say the right thing on a Commonwealth tour, it’s Charles. Part of me hopes he expresses worthy sentiments—just to see if it’s possible that someone in the RF understands accountability. But there’s no true way to say anything right without action…and there’s no way he’s going to say, “I’m selling my duchies to pay reparations!”

  31. Charfromdarock says:

    Thank you for explaining this so well @stories. Indigenous people have been deliberately erased from history and their existence denied in NL for years.

    I’m in St.John’s where they will be visiting. The announcement is not going over well on social or local media.

    • Stories says:

      @Charfromdarock thank you for your kind words! My characterization of Indigenous history in NL is all too brief; there is so much more to tell (as you are well aware). My people are from all over NL, though primarily from the west coast. There is SO MUCH work to be done reconciling the legacy of Crown-Indigenous relations in NL; so many reparations need to be paid. I can only imagine the uproar in St. John’s about the forthcoming visit; I’ll be sure to check out the local coverage. Be well!

  32. Yo@yahoo.com says:

    MMIW. The indigenous in Canada many have not had clean water for years please amplify that I beg you. There’s also an indigenous population fighting against logging that is very important. Here in America we are abusing our indigenous people of Puerto Rico denying them benefits and disability but allowing the men to enter service including the Vietnam war. We are actively damaging the Taino bloodline it’s been genocide followed by attempted erasure of the living descendants and absolutely modern day colonization.

  33. Andrea says:

    That is a wildly short tour, especially for such a large country. I also find it very odd that they aren’t going to Victoria, allegedly the capital of pro-British sentiment. If they can’t guarantee a positive reception there, I don’t think they’ll get one anywhere.

  34. KrystinaJ says:

    Ugh.
    We First Nations people do NOT want them here.