The Canadian Premiers are due to meet in Victoria for the summer gathering. Globalnews.ca

The Canadian premier is starting his summer gathering at Victoria-area First Nation, where he will meet with leaders of National Indigenous Organizations, a collection of five national Indigenous groups.

union councilThe premiers, representing Canada’s 13 provinces and territories, are meeting in Victoria on Monday and Tuesday.

The gathering of premiers and indigenous leaders on Monday at the Songhes Wellness Center sets an example by holding such an event on its reserve land, Songhes Nation said in a statement.

The National Indigenous Organization is made up of leaders from the Assembly of First Nations, the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples, the Inuit Tapirit Kanatami, the Métis National Council, and the Native Women of Canada Association.

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The inaugural meeting is being co-hosted with British Columbia Premier John Horgan, Songhes Chief Rob Sam and neighboring Esquimalt Nation Chief Rob Thomas.

The meeting comes a week before the pope traveled to Canada to offer a personal apology for the abuses suffered by indigenous peoples at the hands of the Catholic Church.