The premier of the Northwest Territories is suggesting that organizers might have considered adding Indigenous representation at Monday’s Raptors NBA victory celebration in Toronto.
Bob McLeod, a proud Metis, did not seem too upset about the omission but agreed that it would have been a nice gesture.
The City of Toronto was represented on stage by mayor John Tory, the province of Ontario by Premier Doug Ford and the country by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Ford was roundly jeered by the crowd of some 1.2 million people when he was introduced.
McLeod says he will bring it up with his fellow premier Ford when he next sees him.
“I always think that aboriginal presence adds a lot to any event. When I see Doug Ford I will ask him about it,” McLeod told CKLB Tuesday.
All of Canada’s premier’s meet next month in Saskatoon.
Toronto has a long Indigenous history including the Mohawk name Toronto.
When Europeans settled the area, Indigenous people on the land were the Mississaugas, who lived on the Credit River, just west of the city.
The Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation are often considered the band of record in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA)
It’s not entirely clear whether organizers ever reached out to the band to see if they wanted to be involved in the celebration.