August 4, 2021
National Design Competition Opens for New Peguis Selkirk Treaty Monument
– – –Government of Manitoba to Contribute $500,000 To Monument: Lagimodiere
The Committee to Commemorate the 200th Anniversary of the Peguis Selkirk Treaty has issued a request for qualifications (RFQ), for the first of a two-phase design competition to create a Peguis Selkirk Treaty Monument on the grounds of the Manitoba Legislative Building.
“Our committee is very pleased that we have been able to move this project forward over the last four years,” said Bill Shead and John Perrin, committee co-chairs. “We gratefully acknowledge the support of the Manitoba government in making this project happen. It is our hope this monument will inspire all Manitobans to recognize First Nations contributions and embrace mutual respect and reconciliation.”
Preceding the numbered treaties, the historic Peguis Selkirk Treaty was the first instance of a formal written agreement recognizing Indigenous land rights in Western Canada.
The monument will feature a statue of Chief Peguis and is intended to promote reconciliation between First Nations and non-Indigenous Manitobans. Inscriptions will commemorate all five treaty signatory chiefs.
The monument is intended to promote reconciliation between First Nations and non-Indigenous Manitobans, and remind all Manitobans of the historic spirit of sharing, co-operation and conciliation between Chief Peguis and allied chiefs and Lord Selkirk, by acknowledging later claims of violations of the treaty by settlers, and by recognizing the contributions of First Nations peoples in the founding, naming and development of Manitoba.
The Manitoba government will contribute $500,000 to the monument, which will be installed in a prominent location on the Legislative Building grounds.
“Our government is delivering on our commitment to create a new monument, as indicated in the 2020 speech from the throne,” Indigenous Reconciliation and Northern Relations Minister Alan Lagimodiere said. “Our funding support will go toward the construction of the monument, which will commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Peguis Selkirk Treaty and the contributions of Chief Peguis and the allied Cree chiefs who were signatories.”
Lagimodiere noted this will be the first recognition on the Legislative Building grounds of the contributions of First Nations people to Manitoba.
The Committee to Commemorate the 200th Anniversary of the Peguis Selkirk Treaty is an all-volunteer committee founded in 2016, with representation from more than 20 Indigenous and non-Indigenous governments and organizations. It is responsible for soliciting design proposals and raising funds to cover costs associated with the design, construction and installation of the monument. It is also responsible for capital contributions to an endowment fund that will be used for future maintenance of the monument.
For more information on the RFQ, visit https://peguisselkirk200.ca.
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