Manitoba Lieutenant Governor

Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba

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

Royal Manitoba Winter Fair VIP Dinner

Remarks by

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

Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba

ROYAL MANITOBA WINTER FAIR

Keystone Centre, Brandon

Monday, March 25, 2024, 5:00 p.m.

(please check against delivery)

 

Friends and fellow Manitobans, it’s a pleasure to join you in Brandon for this wonderful celebration of agriculture, animals and community.

I would like first to acknowledge that we’re are gathered on Treaty Two land. The rich and fertile soil that fosters the agricultural wealth of this province is the ancestral and present-day home of the Anishinaabe, Cree, Dakota and Red River Metis peoples.

In all regions of our province, we are working to build a fair and inclusive society that provides opportunities for healing and happiness for all.

It’s especially a pleasure to be here at the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair for Heroes Day – as you salute those who protect our safety and values through military, police, fire and emergency services.

In my capacity as Lieutenant Governor, I have had the opportunity to meet many men and women who devote their time, talents and energy to the safety of their fellow Canadians. Tonight, I join this great festival in thanking military, police, fire and EMS personnel for their dedication.

The Royal Manitoba Winter Fair has been strengthening the spirit of community in western Manitoba – and throughout our province – for well over a century.

This fair has brought generations together to learn and laugh, to admire skill and athleticism and to celebrate traditions and innovations.

I am sure we will all be dazzled by the power and grace of the horses who are the headline attraction of the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair.

But much of the magic of this, or any such community event, is in bringing a group of friends, neighbours and strangers together to share an experience. In a world with hundreds of channels of entertainment streaming into our homes, there’s a special feeling we get from sharing an evening and an experience of wonder in the flesh.

That’s what makes a week like this such an important highlight in Manitoba’s calendar. And that importance is underlined by its designation as the ROYAL Manitoba Winter Fair.

It takes a small army of staff, performers, exhibitors, sponsors and volunteers to make this fair possible, year after year. To everybody who works to make this possible, thank you.

May the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair continue to bring life to Brandon and to our entire province for generations to come.

Thank you. Merci. Meegwich.