Remarks by
The Honourable Anita Neville, P.C., O.M.
Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba
ICELANDIC FESTIVAL OF MANITOBA
Gimli Park
Monday, August 4, 2025, 2:00 p.m.
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Fellow Manitobans, members and friends of Manitoba’s Icelandic community – it’s a pleasure to celebrate a remarkable 150-year adventure at this wonderful summer festival.
As we gather in this beloved lake community – in Treaty One land and in the homeland of the Red River Metis – we acknowledge that Manitoba is located on the treaty territories and ancestral lands of the Anishinaabe, Cree, Dakota, and Dene nations and the homeland of the Red River Métis and on northern lands were and are the ancestral lands of the Inuit.
As Manitobans, we are committed to working in partnership with First Nations, Metis and Inuit people in the spirit of truth, reconciliation and collaboration and appreciation of all our diverse and thriving cultures.
As we celebrate the spirit of community this weekend, we are also – with heavy hearts – thinking of family and friends from across Manitoba who have been forced from their homes by wildfires. And we are grateful for the everyday heroes who – like many among you – continue to fight hard to protect communities throughout the province and provide support to those in need.
A century and a half ago, the first Icelanders arrived in Manitoba and worked to build a home in a new land. Faced with challenges brought by weather, by disease and by unfamiliarity, they persevered. A few decades later, they founded this festival as a way of preserving their stories, culture and identity.
Since then, this festival has grown into one of Manitoba’s most popular summer events, with a wide range of music and games and attractions. At its heart is a connection to the spirit of those first builders of the Icelandic community.
For 150 years, members of the Icelandic community have made contributions to our culture and economy in countless ways – the stories of their individual experiences and achievements like threads in a tapestry. And their efforts to keep the Icelandic language and culture thriving here in heart of North America have made both Canada and Iceland a part of that tapestry.
As this festival’s theme puts it, our two countries have been Woven Together for 150 Years by generations of Manitobans who are passionate about their connections to Canada and to Iceland.
May the loom that is this festival continue to pull and connect these beautiful threads.
Thank you to all who support the Manitoba Icelandic Festival as staff, as volunteers, as sponsors and as enthusiastic participants.
Thank you. Merci. Meegwich. Shalom and Takk fyrir.
