‘Unacceptable’: Trudeau reacts after AFN chief says headdress was taken from plane cabin

After the national chief of the Assembly of First Nations said her headdress was removed from a plane cabin this week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the incident “unacceptable” and a “mistake” on the part of Air Canada .

Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak, who heads the advocacy organization, said in a social media post Thursday that her headdress and case were taken and placed in a trash bag.

She said the incident left her with hurt feelings and that Air Canada needs a protocol for First Nations people so they are not “harassed” when transporting sacred objects.

“If they kick me off the flight today, I will do it because I will not allow them to take my headdress or case away from me again,” she wrote.

“Thank you to the kind Canadians on the plane who stood up for me and tried to help.”

Trudeau said the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 calls to action are not just about the federal government, but also about industry and Canadians being responsible partners and understanding the cultural importance of issues like this.

“This was an error that I know Air Canada is investigating right now,” Trudeau said.

“It’s an unfortunate situation that I hope leads to some learning, not just from Air Canada, but from a lot of different institutions.”

Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Gary Anandasangaree is also calling on the airline to do right by the national chief, saying in a social media post on Friday that he is “outraged”.

He noted that this is not the first time that ceremonial objects have been “inappropriately treated.”

“Everyone should be treated with dignity and respect, and I hope Air Canada does the right thing,” he said.

The airline said in a statement that it contacted Woodhouse Nepinak directly to apologize and “better understand” his experience. He added that he is also following up on the matter internally.

“Air Canada understands the importance of delighting customers with items and symbols of sacred cultural significance,” the statement said.

“In the past, bosses could travel while carrying their headdress in their cases in the cabin, but this time the case was difficult to carry in the cabin due to storage space limitations on the Dash-8 aircraft.”

The airline said the headdress remained in the hands of Woodhouse Nepinak.

The company also said it will review its policies as a result of this “regrettable incident” to ensure that “special items like this” can consistently remain in travelers’ cabins.

Speaking to reporters on Friday, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said he met Woodhouse Nepinak by chance at a Montreal airport shortly after the incident, and she shared with him how she felt “disrespected.”

He said he supports the national chief’s calls for a policy that ensures a situation like this never happens again, adding that there are “too many” examples of disrespect for indigenous people.

NDP MP Leah Gazan said it’s important for airline workers to have cultural competency and ensure appropriate protocols for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people.

“Canada is rich in diversity and the airline needs to reflect that and respect it through action.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 26, 2024.