Remarks by
The Honourable Anita Neville, P.C., O.M.
Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba
OPENING CEREMONY – 51st BIENNIAL MBNWO COMMAND CONVENTION
Holiday Inn West, 2520 Portage Avenue
Friday, June 13, 2025, 1:00 p.m.
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Friends and fellow Manitobans, members and supporters of a most Canadian institution, it’s a pleasure to join you in saluting an institution that is the heart of many of our communities.
We are meeting tonight in the heart of Treaty One land and the heartland of the Red River Metis, in a province born through a coming-together of peoples.
As Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba, I am honoured to serve in a province committed to truth, reconciliation and collaboration among all of those who call this place home.
This gathering of Legion representatives from across Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario is taking place while this vast region is experiencing a terrible wild fire season. Communities are coming together to support thousands of people forced from their homes by fire – as first responders, fire fighters and members of the Armed Forces fight on the ground and air to protect their fellow Canadians.
In a year when we are taking stock of the things that make us Canadians and the things that connect our country, that spirit of co-operation and dedication is high on the list.
And so too is the Royal Canadian Legion, with its network of more than 1,200 branches and 275,000 members in cities and towns across our country.
In no place do its roots run deeper than in this city. One hundred years ago, the Legion was born in Winnipeg to support veterans of the First World War.
For a century, the Legion kept the sacrifices and contributions of veterans fresh in Canadian minds – just as you did this morning with the wreath-laying at the Brookside Cemetery Wall of Honour. While the Legion has looked back to keep history alive, it has always looked forward as well, though support for cadets, youth sports, scholarships and bursaries.
And in communities large and small, the Legion is a place where old friends can meet and new friendships can form.
Places like that are essential to the health of a community. They provide a chance for people to shoot the breeze, discuss news of the day and form the webs of care and understanding that make a society strong.
As the Royal Canadian Legion moves into its second century, I wish you many more years of friendship, service and memories.
To all who have helped to keep the Legion a vital part our country and its constellation of communities, thank you.
Merci. Meegwich. Shalom
