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Various observers have marvelled at the speech Prime Minister Justin Trudeau gave to the United Nations last week, in which he talked openly about Canada's historic mistreatment of Indigenous peoples.

The experience of Canada for First Nations, Inuit and Métis people has been "mostly one of humiliation, of neglect and of abuse," Mr. Trudeau said. The government that he heads has "sought… to eradicate their languages and their cultures," and its shameful behaviour can still be seen today in broken treaties and unsafe drinking water on many reserves.

The speech had the merit of being different. But if the only thing you heard was how refreshing it was for a leader to confess to the world that his country is imperfect, then you didn't get the whole story. This was nothing less than a campaign speech aimed at a domestic audience.

Yes, Mr. Trudeau said Canada is not a "wonderland," but that is not news to international observers. Canadian Indigenous leaders have been telling the world the same thing for years. The Prime Minister's attempt to take ownership of their message, and their suffering, came off as patronizing.

It was also self-serving. The PM's humblebrag speech morphed from apologia into a string of boasts about his government's efforts to correct past wrongs, one of which was not altogether truthful.

Mr. Trudeau said his government is a "full supporter" of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, when in fact it has repeatedly (and wisely) hedged about clauses that appear to give native people the right to declare unilateral independence, and to veto development.

Much of the second half of the speech was a series of aspirational bromides – any one of which could be cut and pasted into a campaign video. Mr. Trudeau even managed to mention his government's controversial proposal to close tax loopholes for small business corporations, as if the UN needed to hear about that.

The next speaker after Mr. Trudeau was the prime minister of Samoa. He spoke about his tiny island state's reliance on the UN, and praised its efforts to deal with terrorism, climate change, displaced peoples, human-rights abuses and the threat of nuclear weapons.

In the context of what came before, it was refreshing.

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