A parade of patriotism and a big birthday for the games


anada “puffed up” its chest and paraded its patriotism as we cel- ebrated our 150th birthday on July 1. And what a celebra- tion it was! Fireworks, pa- rades, music, and so many other projects that are going on all year. There have been pieces of art created, plays and dances performed – some large projects and some small. And of course, Winnipeg’s giant living maple leaf at Portage and Main, which has been viewed by mil- lions around the world. Pembina Trails School Division


C organized an-


other project to celebrate Canada 150. They believe it was one of the larg- est school-based Canada 150 events in the country. More than 15,000 Pem- bina Trails students, staff and honourary speakers and performers gathered


at


Investors Group Field on May 24 for a Canada 150 event unlike any other. Highlights from the Pembina Trails Canada 150 Project program included: a 2,400-piece student band performing O Canada, a 15,000-per- son living flag, a display of 34 unique Canada 150 floats and a division-wide, 34 km relay along the Trans Canada Trail that wrapped up with a ceremo- nial lap around the stadium. Each Pembina Trails student and staff creat- ed a pledge stating how they will make Canada a better place. These thou- sands of promises have been turned into a massive Pembina Trails Book of Pledges, which was unveiled at Inves- tor’s Group Field.


You have to love the enthusiasm of youth and the innovation of staff at all of the schools!


Another thing that I heard recently that really impressed me was the ac- ceptance speeches of some of the 2017 National Performing Arts Awards


presented by Governor General David Johnston. Singer Michael Bublé and actors Michael J. Fox and Martin Short were among seven recipi- ents of the awards, which recognize “foremost dis- tinction for excellence in the performing arts.” What struck me was their heartfelt and emo- tional thank


you’s to


Myrna Driedger Broadway Journal


a country that they all consider “home”. Mi- chael Bublé commented how “our country has a way of making us all feel completely distinct yet without any superior- ity”. Michael Fox spoke of Canada’s “diverse cul- ture and majestic beauty”, and thanked Canada “for


the warm embrace of home.” Martin Short described how he has loved and been so proud of being Canadian all his life. And he added, “It’s like being the hippest member of any group.” To celebrate the 150th birthday of Canada, Manitoba was fortunate to have been awarded the Canada Sum- mer Games which take place from July 28 to Aug. 13. During this period athletes from across the country are gathering to compete in many sports. The Canada Games are held every two years, with Winter Games one year alternating with Summer Games two years later, and they are a key event in the development of Canada’s young athletes. Featuring 16 sports, over 250 events and a major cultural festival, the 2017 Canada Games will welcome over 4,000 athletes and coaches and more than 20,000 visitors.


The Canada Games are this country’s largest multi-sport event for young athletes and in 2017 will celebrate their 50th anniversary at the same time as Canada’s 150th birthday. The 2017 Canada Summer Games will leave a legacy of new and enhanced sport fa-


3,600 people gathered at 8 a.m. on Canada Day on the corner of Portage and Main to form a living maple leaf. Photo courtesy of Downtown Biz.


cilities. As well, by training volunteers and leaders to carry out these games, this experience will have a lasting effect that will benefit athletes and the broad- er community for years to come. The Canada Games are a powerful, nation- building event that promotes unity, cultural understanding, and diversity. I hope everyone gets an opportunity to take in some part of the Canada Games this summer, whether to watch an athletic event or take in another ac- tivity associated with the games. Until next January, you can visit the Manitoba Museum to see a new col- lection exploring the impact of Cana- dian Confederation on the people and the land that would become Mani- toba. At the time of Confederation in 1867 there were only four provinces. At that time Manitoba was only a fur trade outpost. Manitoba became the fifth province to join Canada in 1870. So, if you are interested in Manitoba history, I encourage you to visit this current collection, which will answer many questions about how we became the province that we are.


Canadians were honoured to receive Prince Charles and his wife, the Duchess of Cornwall at our Canada Day festivi- ties. In addition to thanking our Gover- nor General for his seven years of service as the Queen’s representative in Canada, Prince Charles also paid tribute to Can- ada’s war dead, recounting his visit to Vimy Ridge earlier this year to mark the 100th anniversary of that devastating battle. “Canada,” he said, is a celebrated champion of human rights, peacekeep- ing and diversity.”


So, it appears we have lots to celebrate this year as we continue Canada 150 cel- ebrations. I have always been a proud Canadian and proud Manitoban. How- ever, this feeling of pride seems to be taking on new significance over the past couple of years. As the world around us changes, the distinct place that we as Ca- nadians have on a global level becomes even more pronounced. And more than ever I appreciate how fortunate I am to be Canadian – with a glowing heart! Hon. Myrna Driedger is MLA for Charleswood and Speaker of the legislative assembly.


u Chief Peguis and the Selkirk settlers: 200 years of reverence Continued from page 1


tearing down their dwellings. By the early 1800s, the activities had escalated. Those who could, emigrated, but many could not afford the price of a steerage ticket. Around 1774, Peguis, who would grow up to be a remarkable man, was born in Sault Ste. Marie. When he was nine, his family moved to Red Lake, Minnesota where they lived for a number of years. The boy would grow to become a natural leader and when he was only 18, he was already a chief. In 1792, Peguis led a group of about 200 people west- ward to Netley Creek near Lake Winnipeg. There were still bison, hunting and trapping were good and the peo- ple could grow their gardens of corn, squash and pump- kins on the rich shores of the lake and the Red River. They could trade the pelts for European goods from the North West Company. Peguis established good relation- ships with the neighbouring Cree and Assiniboine First Nations and over the following two decades the commu- nity prospered. Enter Thomas Douglas, Fifth Earl of Selkirk, the last remaining and a younger son in a family of seven boys. The Earl grew up without the pressures of succes- sion hanging over his head and became something of a philanthropist who took an interest in the plight of the displaced Scottish farmers. He used his fortune to settle some of them in the eastern part of Canada, and then set his sights on the Red River Valley. With his brother-in- law, he gained a controlling interest in the Hudson’s Bay Company, enabling him to secure 116,000 square miles of the territory for his colony.


The rival North West Company, supported by the


Métis and the local indigenous people who trapped for them, was active in the area, and none were happy about the competition from the Hudson’s Bay Company or with the idea of sharing the bounties of the land with settlers.


August 2017


mican from the colony, an act that sparked anger among the Métis and the North West Company traders. This was one of the factors that led to the Battle of Seven Oaks in June 1816 and the massacre of Governor Robert Semple and 20 of his men at Frog Plain (in the present day Kil- donan area). Peguis helped the survivors from this battle to shelter at Jack River near Norway House, where they had spent a previous winter under the chief’s watchful eye to get away from the disputes with the North West Company.


Homes on narrow river lots along the Red River in 1822 by Peter Rindisbacher with Fort Douglas in the background.


Nevertheless, on Sept. 24, 1811, Selkirk’s first con- tingent of 22 men, who were sent out to prepare the colony for the first settlers, landed at York Factory on Hudson Bay. Led by Miles MacDonnell, they set out the following spring to make the long and arduous journey through the muskeg, arriving at the Red River Colony in August 1812. It was already too late to prepare homes let alone plant a crop for the settlers who arrived two months later on Oct. 27. After a rough voyage followed by an even rougher trek south, these settlers were tired, sick and disheartened.


Without the help and support of Peguis and his peo- ple, they would have died. Peguis continued this sup- port over the next two years, but food was scarce, partly thanks to the North West Company which hoarded the available bison meat and pemmican. Miles MacDonnell, the first governor of the colony, eventually issued an edict forbidding the export of pem-


Finally, in June of 1817, Lord Selkirk brought a small group of soldiers to help restore order at Fort Douglas. Lord Selkirk and Chief Peguis negotiated the first treaty in Western Canada; Peguis brokered much of the deal, bringing in other chiefs. The Selkirk Treaty was signed by Pequis, Matchie Whewab (Le Sonnant), Mechkaddewko- naie (La Robe Noire), Kayajeskebino (L’Homme Noir) and Ouckidoat (Le Premier). The land was apportioned and a promised gift of one hundred pounds of sacred to- bacco to be delivered to each chief every year sealed the deal. The treaty was signed on July 18, 1817. Chief Peguis continued to be a friend to the settlers.


He converted to Christianity and took the name William King, giving the surname Prince to his four sons. He lived to be 90 years old, passing away in 1864. Lord Selkirk died three years later in England. This summer, James Alexander Douglas Hamilton, 11th Earl of Selkirk, again returned to Manitoba to hon- our the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the Selkirk Treaty. A committee co-chaired by John D. Perrin, represent-


ing the settlers, and William Shead, a descendant of and representing Chief Peguis, has been working on the com- missioning of a statue honouring Chief Peguis and the treaty to be erected on the grounds of the Manitoba leg- islature.


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