Remarks by
The Honourable Anita Neville, P.C., O.M.
Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba
HINDU SOCIETY OF MANITOBA DIWALI CELEBRATION
RBC Convention Centre
Saturday, November 4, 2023
(please check against delivery)
Friends, members and supporters of the Hindu Society of Manitoba, thank you for the opportunity to share in this celebration of Diwali.
As Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba, it is my pleasure to acknowledge that this celebration of cultural diversity is being held in the heart of Treaty One land and the heartland of the Red River Metis.
We are blessed to live in the ancestral and present-day home of the Anishinaabe, Cree, Dakota, Dene, Inuit and Metis peoples – and in a province where people from cultural traditions originating around the world are working together for a brighter future for all.
One thing that all Manitobans have in common at this time of year is the ominous sense of the growing darkness we will live with for the next four or five months.
As the days get shorter and the nights get longer, it’s easy to feel trapped by the darkness.
So what better time than now for a celebration of light – and a celebration of all that light symbolizes?
In a world where misinformation and division spread rapidly on the internet, tonight we celebrate the victory of knowledge over ignorance. Tonight, we celebrate not just light, but enlightenment.
I have learned that embracing difference and diversity allows for so much more learning and for a deeper understanding of all the great questions of life and of society.
And I have learned of common themes that can be expressed in many different ways. Themes of family and community, themes of hope and courage, themes of caring and compassion, themes of learning and understanding.
I look forward to the beautiful ways in which tonight’s performers express the messages of Diwali. And I look forward to sharing this celebration with old and new friends from Manitoba’s Hindu community.
Thank you to the Hindu Society of Manitoba and all the organizers, volunteers and performers who have made this evening possible.
Thank you, merci, meegwich and happy Diwali.