Remarks by
The Honourable Anita Neville, P.C., O.M.
Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba
ASSOCIATION OF CLERKS-AT-THE-TABLE OF CANADA LUNCHEON
Government House
Wednesday, July 31, 2024, 12:30 p.m.
(please check against delivery)
Welcome to Government House and to Manitoba for this professional development meeting in the service of Parliamentary democracy.
As Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba, I acknowledge that we are gathered on Treaty 1 territory and that Manitoba is located on the treaty territories and ancestral lands of the Anishinaabe, Oji-Cree, Dakota, Dene and Cree nations; that Manitoba is located on the homeland of the Red River Métis; and northern Manitoba includes lands that were and are the ancestral lands of the Inuit.
As Manitobans, we respect the spirit and intent of treaties and treaty making and remain committed to working in partnership with First Nations, Metis and Inuit people in the spirit of truth, reconciliation and collaboration.
And we are delighted to welcome visitors from across Canada to this province at the centre of a country and a continent.
Canadians – like citizens of many other countries – value democracy. We want a say in how our country, our province or territory and our local community is run. We want to send representatives to Parliament or to our Legislative Assembly who will listen to us and speak for us.
But of course, there is more to democracy than that.
Democracy runs on rules, procedures and precedents. It requires institutional memory and non-partisan advice on the processes of governing. For all of that, democracy needs people like you.
I know, as somebody who was once a wide-eyed new MP, how bewildering it can be to take a seat in Parliament and take a look around from the inside for the first time.
“Now what do it do?” is a pretty natural question.
Fortunately, thanks to the expertise of clerks at the table, our elected assemblies can function smoothly. Thanks to orderly debate and discussion, ideas and points of view can be presented clearly and not lost in shouting. And newly elected members can gain the confidence to speak up and represent their constituents.
The wisdom and experience of Parliamentary clerks makes that possible.
I am sure you will have much to discuss at this gathering. Not only do you have experiences from across Canada to share, but your guests from the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, the American Society of Legislative Clerks and Secretaries, and the Australia and New Zealand Association of Clerks at the Table will offer greater diversity of experience to your meetings.
I am sure you will take from this meeting new insights that will bolster your own judgement and understanding. And I hope as well that you return to your homes with memories of new friendships kindled and new discoveries made in the city at the heart of the continent.
Thank you for your dedication to democracy and your commitment to continuous learning.
Thank you. Merci. Meegwich. Shalom