Remarks by
The Honourable Anita Neville, P.C., O.M.
Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba
LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR’S LEVEE ON THE LAWN
Government House
Saturday, June 22, 2024
(please check against delivery)
Good afternoon to each and every one of you that has joined us here today to take part in the first ever Levee on the Lawn.
As Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba, I welcome you to Government House and these beautiful grounds here in the heart of Treaty One land and the homeland of the Red River Metis.
I acknowledge and honour that our beautiful province is the ancestral and present-day home of the Anishinaabe, Anishininew (ANISH-IN-INEW), Cree, Dakota, Dene, Nehetho (NE-HET-HO) Nation, Inuit and Metis peoples.
Today, we come together as a community to participate in the great tradition of the Levée, although we’ve taken the liberty of deviating from the norm.
The first recorded Levee in Canada dates all the way back to 1646 in New France, which we now know as Quebec.
Traditionally held on New Year’s day, Levee’s hosted by the Governor General – and Lieutenant Governors across the country – have long provided citizens opportunity to greet their respective Lieutenant Governor, share news of their successes throughout the year, and pledge their continued allegiance to the Crown.
Manitoba’s very first Lieutenant Governor, The Honourable Adams Archibald, hosted his first New Year’s Levée on January 2, 1871 at Upper Fort Garry – just up the street at Broadway and Main – where he also lived.
Construction of Government House, here at 10 Kennedy Street, was completed in the fall of 1883 and the first New Year’s Day Levée was held here in 1884, hosted by Manitoba’s fourth Lieutenant Governor, The Honourable James Aikins.
Other than in 2007, when then-Lieutenant Governor John Harvard opted to host a spring garden party at Government House, in lieu of the traditional Levee, it has been held on January 1st. The last Lieutenant Governor’s New Year’s Day Levee was held in 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic.
And here we are! It is not New Year’s Day, of course, but there is always much to celebrate about this province we call home.
Summer has officially arrived in Manitoba and National Indigenous Peoples Day was celebrated from coast to coast to coast just yesterday.
I invite you to enjoy the entertainment being provided by some very talented Manitobans, take a stroll through Government House, and partake of the other activities that are planned this afternoon.
I encourage you to say hello and enjoy the company of your fellow Manitobans and share the community spirit we are known for.
Events like this don’t just happen. It takes a lot of work by a lot of people behind the scenes, and I do want to take a moment to thank the talented performers, the members of the Manitoba Living History Society, Elder Bsrbara Nepinak, the Legislative Security and operations teams, my staff and Aides de Camp, and the wonderful volunteers for all of their efforts in ensuring what I know will be a memorable afternoon.
I look forward to having the opportunity to meet many of you throughout the day, and I sincerely thank you for being here. Enjoy!
Thank you. Merci. Meegwich. Shalom
