Remarks by
The Honourable Anita Neville, P.C., O.M.
Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba
LEGION BRANCH 132 ANNUAL REGIMENTAL BALL
Brokenhead Community Hall, Beausejour
Saturday, September 28, 2024, 6:00 p.m.
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Fellow Manitobans, members and friends of the Royal Canadian Legion, thank you for the opportunity to share in this celebration of service.
As Lieutenant Governor, I wish to acknowledge that we are gathered on Treaty One land and on the heartland of the Red River Metis and 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 I acknowledge 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.
It is a pleasure to join you in beautiful Beausejour for this regimental ball and this celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Royal Canadian Air Force.
All this year, across Canada, we have been reflecting on a century of service by the men and women who defend Canada’s skies and who have served at home and around the world since 1924.
Whether patrolling Canadian airspace or serving Canada in conflicts overseas, conducting search and rescue missions or working to evacuate people from natural disasters, the Royal Canadian Air Force has protected our country and its people ever since its establishment.
As we approach Remembrance Day, it is fitting that your Legion branch is encouraging us to give thanks for the service and sacrifice of all those who have looked to the skies in this manner.
Manitoba has a close affinity with the Royal Canadian Air Force – a home base for serving personnel and the place where generations of members have trained.
And of course our province has a long and close connection with the Royal Canadian Legion, as the place where the Legion was founded.
No doubt in 2025, during commemorations of the Legion’s centennial, we will all have ample opportunities to celebrate a century of contributions made by the Legion and its branches to remembrance and to community building.
Indeed, encouragement of remembrance is a form of community building, as it keeps knowledge alive and strengthens ties between generations and between citizens and their country.
So tonight, I thank you for all the ways members of this branch make Beausejour, Manitoba and Canada proud, strong and connected.
Have a wonderful evening and may you continue to unite us in remembrance throughout the years ahead.
Thank you. Merci. Meegwich. Shalom