'A really important discussion': Trudeau weighs in on name of Edmonton's CFL team

Edmonton needs to talk about the name of its football team, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Alberta Premier Rachel Notley both said in Ottawa on Wednesday.

Trudeau was asked about the name Edmonton Eskimos at a news conference. The team name has been criticized for its use of an outdated term for the Inuit people of Canada's North.

• Edmonton mayor urges Eskimos to move quickly on name change

"Obviously that's a part of reconciliation, is listening to concerns and understanding what habits of the past need to change," hesaid.

"This is a discussion and a reflection that the city of Edmonton certainly needs to undertake.Reconciliation is not just about Indigenous people and the government. It's about all of us as Canadians, non-Indigenous as well. And I think that's a really important discussion to have."

Ottawa is the host city forSunday'sGrey Cup gamebetween the Calgary Stampeders and the Toronto Argonauts.

Notley also weighed in on the Edmonton club's contentious name Wednesday. She was in Ottawa on a speaking tour promoting the need for pipelines to get Alberta oil to new markets.

In an interview with The Canadian Press, Notley said it wouldshow good leadership for the franchise to engage the community including Indigenous people in the conversation.

Notley saidwhile she won't tell the team what to do, shewould like to hear what people have to say about the issue.

Many consider the word Eskimo a slur, or at least anuncomfortable vestige of colonialism for Inuit people.

• Edmonton Eskimos name an insult to the Inuit, says local Inuk woman

There have been periodic calls in recent years for the team to change its name.

The team said this month it was keenly listening to all input,including from loyal season ticket holders and other fans.

In Edmonton Wednesday, Mayor DonIveson repeated his position that the team needs to deal with the name because the questions about it aren't going away.

Iveson said concerns raised by Natan Obed, president of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, the national Inuit organization, must be taken into account.

• Edmonton Eskimos must change offensive name, Inuit leader says

"Now that we've heard repeatedly from the leader of the national Inuit organization, who is an elected official there to represent his people, and he's spoken consistently very calmly, very persuasively but consistently that it raises concerns for his community, I think that demands further conversation," Ivesonsaid.

"It really is for the team to follow up on that, but again, as I've said before, I don't think this issue is going to go away, either."

Any discussion should involve Edmontonians, including Inuit people, and national Inuit leaders, Iveson said. He also said fans and players on the Edmonton team should be included in the conversation.

"We've seen players taking pretty strong positions in the United States around strong issues of inclusion and equity, and so I think the players have a stake in this, too," he said.

"That's a difficult conversation for the team to manage but there probably is a respectful process to at least make sure the Inuit perspective is fully heard by the community, including by fans who may not have heard what Mr. Obed has to say."

• Winnipeg mayor raises name of CFL Eskimos with Edmonton counterpart