The Blood Tribe of Alberta inducted Prime Minister Stephen Harper into the Kainai Chieftainship at a ceremony on the reserve on Monday.

Harper was given the name "Chief Speaker." He is only the second sitting prime minister to join the chieftainship.

“I am deeply grateful for the honour you have bestowed upon me today,” Harper said at the ceremony, The Calgary Herald reported. “It is an experience I will never forget. It is a bond of friendship which will inspire me in my service to you and all Canadians.”

The tribe invited Harper to the reserve after he issued a formal apology for the treatment of Native people in residential schools.

Get the Story:
Canadian PM named honorary Indian chief (UPI 7/12)
Blood Tribe honours Prime Minister Harper with Kainai Chieftainship (The Calgary Herald 7/12)
Other Kainai Chieftainship honourees (The Calgary Herald 7/12)