Remarks by
The Honourable Anita Neville, P.C., O.M.
Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba
COUNCIL OF WOMEN OF WINNIPEG 130th ANNIVERSARY LUNCHEON
Masonic Memorial Centre, 420 Corydon Avenue, Winnipeg
Saturday, September 28, 2024, 11:30 a.m.
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Friends and fellow Manitobans, welcome to this celebration of an organization that has been building relationships for 130 years.
As Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba, I am pleased to acknowledge that we are gathered on Treaty 1 territory and in the heartland of the Red River Metis.
As we work for the people of Manitoba, we acknowledge that this province is located on the treaty territories and ancestral lands of the Anishinaabe, Anishininew (ANISH-IN-INEW), Cree, Dakota, Dene and Nehetho (NE-HET-HO) Nation and the homeland of the Red River Métis and that 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.
Some of you were at a reception in May to celebrate the Council of Women of Winnipeg on its 130 years of generating ideas and action to improve the lives of women and families in our province.
You may recall that on that occasion, I mentioned a few of the causes this group has advocated over the years – from votes for women, to family allowance, to gender equity in leadership. As I said in May, the Council of Women of Winnipeg has had a knack for being on the right side of history.
Today, I’m looking to the future.
As we gather today, just before the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, our thoughts will turn to the role the council can play in building a more just and inclusive Canada.
And today’s program invites us to think of one of the important things we can do to support reconciliation and justice.
We can listen. We can share. We can build relationships.
I’m sure that much of the progress fostered by this organization in the past was envisioned by gatherings of women having conversations fueled by cups of tea.
And given the cultural significance of tea in Indigenous culture – and so many cultures from around the world – I believe that a similar act of listening and sharing will contribute to future social progress.
To everybody who has been part of the Council of Women of Winnipeg and to all who will keep this spirit alive in the future, I wish you many more cups of inspiring, calming, healing and delicious tea.
Thank you. Merci. Meegwich. Shalom
