Remarks by
The Honourable Anita Neville, P.C., O.M.
Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba
CITY OF WINNIPEG INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY LUNCHEON
Fort Garry Hotel
Friday, March 7, 2025, 11:30 a.m.
(please check against delivery)
Mayor Gillingham, fellow Manitobans, it’s a pleasure to join you today to celebrate the achievements of women in the long struggle for equal rights and opportunities.
As Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba, I would like to thank Elder Flora Ruck for beginning this day with a blessing as we gather on Treaty 1 land and in the heartland of the Red River Metis.
In a province located on the treaty territories and ancestral lands of the Anishinaabe, Oji-Cree, Dakota, Dene and Cree nations and the homeland of the Red River Métis and that includes ancestral lands of the Inuit, we remain committed to working in partnership with First Nations, Metis and Inuit people in the spirit of truth, reconciliation and collaboration.
It’s a pleasure joining you here at this Winnipeg landmark for today’s International Women’s Day luncheon.
This hotel has been a gathering place for our city and province since 1913 – that’s two years after the very first International Women’s Day brought a million women into the streets of four European nations.
For more than a century since those first gatherings and rallies, International Women’s Day has grown through wars and revolutions, economic and technological upheaval, and generations of social and cultural change.
Today, we take time on this day to celebrate the women who have dedicated their lives and talents and given their voices to advance women’s rights. We hail all of those women who have been trailblazers and breakers of barriers – especially those who have then used their achievements to help other women do the same.
And on this day, we also identify the challenges that remain, and we acknowledge that the gains of the last century have not been felt equally by all women. There will undoubtedly still be difficult times ahead for many as we navigate the turbulent times around us. I challenge each of you to rise above the noise and harness the strength and experience of the positive forces and individuals around you.
On International Women’s Day we look at where we’ve been and where we are now and where we’re going. Today we pledge that there’s no going back.
Thank you for lending your time and your voice to the cause of the women and girls of Manitoba, Canada and the world.
Thank you. Merci. Meegwich. Shalom
