Manitoba woman turns back with others on Trudeau in House of Commons

A Manitoba woman from Fisher River Cree Nation joined dozens of other young women who stood and turned their backs on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau when he addressed them in the House of Commons on Wednesday.

Kailey Arthurson, 23, was one of more than 300 delegates at Daughters of the Vote, which encourages more women to get into politics by giving them an opportunity to sit in for their federal MP.

The women turned their backs in response to Trudeau's decision to kick former justice minister and attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould and former treasury board secretary Jane Philpott out of caucus one day earlier.

"It was really powerful because not only did we Indigenous delegates do that, but a lot of the other non-Indigenous delegates did so, too," said Arthurson.

She and some of the other delegates met Tuesday evening to discuss what they wanted to do. Arthurson said it was important to her, as an Indigenous woman, to take a stand.

"There's only so many Indigenous women that we can look up to in places of power, and for him to just forcibly remove [Wilson-Raybould]for his own convenience and concern, for her being truthful, we needed to do something," she said.

Trudeau addressed the controversy at the start of his speech, insisting there will always be disagreements in politics.

"There was never going to be an absolute one side or another. There are always going to be multiple voices we have to listen to," he said.

Arthurson said she listened to Trudeau while she had her back turned, but did not appreciate what he had to say.

"It was more trying to side with the one view that fit his perception, which was absolutely clear after what he just did to Jody and Jane," she said.

Arthurson was the first delegate to address the House of Commons on Wednesday. She spoke about issues facing Indigenous communities and environmental justice.

"I finished it with saying I stand with the women who are excluded and forcibly removed from colonial spaces. And I looked up and looked at JodyWilson[-Raybould], who was in the House of Commons at that time," she said.