Manitoba Lieutenant Governor

Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba

The Honourable Anita R. Neville, P.C., O.M.

Rotary Adventures in Human Rights

Remarks by

The Honourable Anita Neville, P.C., O.M.

Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba

ROTARY ADVENTURES IN HUMAN RIGHTS

Government House

Tuesday, August 15, 2023, 5:00 p.m.

(please check against delivery)

 

 

Learners and leaders, it is a pleasure to welcome you to Government House during your adventure in human rights and personal discovery.

As Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba, I honour and acknowledge that we are gathered on Treaty One land, and in the heartland of the Red River Metis.

This beautiful and diverse province is also the ancestral and the present-day home of the Anishinaabe, Cree, Dakota, and Dene peoples.

I also recognize that northern Manitoba includes lands that were, and are, the ancestral lands of the Inuit.

Together, we will continue to work to hear truths, and to advance understanding, opportunity, and healing for all.

Your week in the Rotary Adventures in Human Rights program will give each of you the opportunity to advance your understanding of questions of fundamental importance. I’m pleased that you are able to visit here at Government House early in your week.

This 140-year old landmark is the residence of Manitoba’s Lieutenant Governor – the representative in our province of Canada’s sovereign.

In Canada, the representatives of the King in each province and territory as well as the Governor General of Canada have specific constitutional roles, such as opening sessions of Parliament or provincial legislatures and signing legislation to bring it into force.

But we also have another role – speaking for the province or the nation as a whole, such as when conferring honours or, as right now, when meeting dedicated and conscientious young people who embody the hopes we have for our country and our world.

This week, you learn about the struggle to enshrine and protect human rights, You will learn about violations of rights – both historic and very much with us today. And you will learn from people who are working to bring communities, cultures and generations together.

I hope you will go home after this week inspired to learn more and to inspire others to work with you for a world of understanding, equity and justice.

Each of you brings a unique perspective to this week – a perspective you have acquired from your personal experiences and the lessons you’ve learned at home, at school, in your community.

You’ve brought these perspectives with you from across Canada and indeed, from around the world.

I’m sure the learning you will experience at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, IRCOM and Fort Whyte Alive will open both your eyes and your hearts. But equally valuable is the opportunity to connect with other open-hearted peers.

You’ll learn from each other how to listen and share and you will make new friends who will expand your awareness of the world.

In the years to come, the work of building a just and sustainable world will fall on members of your generation. The ability to work with and share the perspectives of your peers will help you to address challenges of conflict and scarcity, fear and ignorance.

Wherever the path of your life takes you, you will be better equipped to lead the way and to build communities that support the rights of all.

As Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba, I congratulate each of you on making the learning commitment to participate in Rotary Adventures in Human Rights. And I thank the sponsors, organizers and leaders who have once again made this possible.

I wish you a wonderful, exciting and mind-expanding week.

Thank you. merci, meegwich