Manitoba Lieutenant Governor

Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba

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

World Police and Fire Games Reception

Remarks by

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

Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba

WORLD POLICE AND FIRE GAMES RECEPTION

Government House

Thursday, July 27, 2023

(please check against delivery)

 

Friends of the World Police and Fire Games, welcome to Manitoba and to Government House.
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.

One of the great things about sport is the way it unites people – whether they are striving together as a team or cheering from the sidelines.

It builds a sense of camaraderie that can turn strangers into friends and friends into brothers and sisters.

Police and firefighters, sharing the unique challenges of their professions, already have such a bond. It’s a bond that is visible to outsiders when they come together to support one another in the wake of tragedy.

But for the next 10 days, we’ll all see that camaraderie on display in good times, in moments of joy and triumph, and in shared excitement and laughter.

Manitobans are looking forward to hosting those special moments and providing the setting for what will become cherished memories for some 8,500 athletes and their supporters.

This gathering of competitors from more than 50 countries, taking part in more than 60 sports, will be Manitoba’s largest-ever gathering of athletes. Pretty impressive, given that we have twice hosted the Pan Am Games.

Manitobans often refer to their province as the heart of Canada, or the heart of North America, as a reference to our location – midway between the east and west coasts and between the Arctic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico.

But we also like to think that we’re a place with a lot of heart – a place of caring and a place with a passion for life.

I’m sure that all the competitors and spectators at these games will carry a piece of Manitoba in their hearts wherever they go from here. And I hope that tonight’s special guests from Alabama, New Zealand and Australia find that Manitoba feeling helpful in their planning for future Games

Thank you to all of the visionaries and organizers who made these games possible – may they exceed your highest expectations.

Thank you, merci, meegwich.