Manitoba Lieutenant Governor

Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba

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

Tree Planting in Memory of Queen Elizabeth II

Remarks by

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

Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba

TREE PLANTING IN MEMORY OF QUEEN ELIZABETH II

Argyle, MB

Saturday, June 3, 2023

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Fellow Manitobans, it is my pleasure to join you in celebrating deep roots and new growth in the province we all love.

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.

As we build a better Manitoba – a place of understanding and healing, sustainability and beauty – we need to build bridges between our past and our future.

Community museums like this – and the people who nurture them – show us the importance of retaining our memory and our connection to history. Knowing where you’ve been is essential if you’re trying to guide your way forward.

But we also need to look to the future and think of the needs and desires of those who will live here decades or generations from now.  Nothing symbolizes that better than a tree-planting.

As a Manitoba homesteader named Nelson Henderson put it: “The true meaning of life is to plant trees under whose shade you do not expect to sit.”

These seven spruce trees are a fitting way to commemorate the seven-decade reign of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

Their deep roots will symbolize Canada’s long relationship with the monarchy and the stability and continuity it provides our country. The evergreen boughs – providing shelter and shade to all throughout the year – will symbolize the spirit of public service that was always a central message of Her Majesty.

And just as the prairie soil nurtures these trees, so Manitoba has given root to a culture of volunteer service and leadership, in Argyle and in villages, towns and cities across our province.

May these trees be silent witnesses to many years of health, happiness, prosperity and community spirit.

Thank you. Merci. Meegwich.