Nikki Fraser is pictured in Ottawa in this Facebook photo for her one-on-one with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Image Credit: Nikki Fraser via Facebook
February 01, 2016 - 8:00 PM
KAMLOOPS - Nikki Fraser didn’t start off with a plan to interview Justin Trudeau, but last night, Jan. 31, she met with Canada’s Prime Minister for a one-on-one discussion.
“It never started with did you want to met the prime minister,” she says. “It started with my story.”
As a Tk’emlúps te Secwepemc member who has lost an aunt and a cousin, missing and murdered indiginous women and girls is an issue that directly affects her and her family.
Fraser is the Native Women’s Association of Canada western youth representative and involved with the B.C. Native Women’s Association. She got involved when she heard about the associations’ involvement with missing indigenous women. That was the topic she discussed with the Trudeau.
“It was just me, him, his office and the camera crew. No security, no press.” Fraser says. “The experience was amazing. Justin Trudeau is a genuinely kind person.”
The interview was part of a CBC program bringing 10 Canadians to talk about 10 issues with the Trudeau. Each got 10 minutes with the Prime Minister. He only knew their name, hometown and a broad idea of the subject to be discussed.
“I didn’t know it was going to be a one-on-one,” Fraser says. “I thought it was a group thing and I was just going to share my story.”
The one-on-one nature of the interview was nerve wracking at first, but Fraser thought she did well.
“I was nervous I was going to freeze up and kill my 10 minutes on nonsense,” she says. “I can genuinely say I was proud of myself.”
Fraser says she thought Trudeau did alright as well, though his points were partly him playing politics.
“I feel it was a lot of political point. I’m happy he understood my point,” she says. “It’s going to take time. I want to see him walk his talk.”
After Fraser and the other interviewers had a moment to wrap the show up. She told the prime minister she thinks he just made history, speaking with people who elected him in this way.
“I said ‘Mr. Prime Minister, you made history today,’” she says. “And he said ‘No, you made history.’ That was something that I won’t ever forget.”
“He said ‘All indigenous lives matter,’” she says. “I think the country needed to hear that from him.”
To contact a reporter for this story, email Brendan Kergin at bkergin@infonews.ca or call 250-819-6089. To contact an editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.
News from © iNFOnews, 2016