Manitoba marks 150th anniversary of the signing of Treaty No. 1
Tuesday, Aug. 3 marks the 150th anniversary of the signing of Treaty No. 1 – the first of the numbered treaties signed across Western Canada.
Treaty No. 1 was signed at Lower Fort Garry, southeast of Selkirk, Man., on Aug. 3, 1871. The signatories included representatives from the Crown, Anishinabe, and Swampy Cree.
About 1,000 Indigenous men, women, and children from around Manitoba attended the eight-day negotiation process for Treaty No. 1, which was the first in a series of 11 treaties made between 1871 and 1921.
Treaty One Nation is made up of the following seven First Nations: Brokenhead Ojibway First Nation; Long Plain First Nation; Peguis First Nation; Roseau River Anishinabe First Nation; Sagkeeng First Nation; Sandy Bay First Nation; and Swan Lake First Nation.
Treaty One territory stretches from north of Gimli, Man., to the United States border. It also runs from east of Brandon, Man., to Whiteshell Provincial Park. Cities within Treaty One territory include Winnipeg, Brandon, Portage la Prairie, Selkirk, Steinbach, Lundar, Grand Beach, Emerson and Winkler.
In a statement, Alan Lagimodiere, Manitoba’s Indigenous reconciliation and northern relations minister, said the 150th anniversary of the signing of Treaty No. 1 comes at a challenging time.
“Our hearts go out to the thousands of children whose lives were lost at residential schools, and to survivors who were often neglected or abused,” the statement said.
“Residential schools had a profound intergenerational impact on these children, their families and their communities. The horrific legacy of residential schools is deeply felt here in Manitoba and across our country following the discovery of unmarked graves on the grounds of former residential school sites across Canada. “
Lagimodiere noted that Manitoba is committed to supporting Indigenous-led investigations into residential school sites.
COMMEMORATIVE EVENT
On Tuesday, representatives from the Treaty One Nation, the Government of Canada and the Treaty Relations Commission of Manitoba marked the anniversary at the Lower Fort Garry National Historic Site.
The commemorative event included a drum song by the Spirit Sand Singers, an Honour Ride into the Lower Fort Garry site, speeches, and a presentation of the newly minted treaty medals to each Treaty One First Nation.
Chief Dennis Meeches, a spokesperson for Treaty One Nation, said in a news release that it is important to remember that treaties are living documents between First Nations and the Crown.
“Taking this time to honour our Chiefs and leadership for their courage and insight in the negotiations of these agreements is empowering for our people and especially our youth,” he said.
“First Nations people more than fulfilled our commitment to live and work together with newcomers, and we look forward to resetting the relationship with the Government of Canada going forward.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Poilievre will do 'anything to win,' must condemn Alex Jones endorsement: Trudeau
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is ramping up his attacks on Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre as he promotes his government's federal budget.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
New evidence challenges the Pentagon's account of a horrific attack as the U.S. withdrew from Afghanistan: CNN exclusive
New video evidence uncovered by CNN significantly undermines two Pentagon investigations into an ISIS-K suicide attack outside Kabul airport, during the American withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
All Alberta wildfires to date in 2024 believed to be human-caused: province
There are 63 wildfires burning in Alberta's forest protection area as of Wednesday morning and seven mutual aid fires, including one in the Municipal District of Peace.
Suspects waving weapons, smashing glass in Toronto jewelry store robbery caught on video
Arrests have been made after five men were captured on video rampaging through a jewelry store in Toronto, waving weapons and smashing glass display cases.
Pilot proposes to flight attendant girlfriend in front of passengers
A Polish pilot proposed to his flight attendant girlfriend during a flight from Warsaw to Krakow, and she said yes.
Ottawa injects another $36M into fund for those seriously injured or killed by vaccines
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
Ex-SNC executive sentenced to prison term in bridge bribery case
The RCMP says a former SNC-Lavalin executive has been sentenced to three and a half years in prison in connection with a bribery scheme for a bridge repair contract in Montreal.