March 1, 2019: Meeting 4- The Way Forward – Forging the Partnership

Location : Lower Fort Garry National Historic Site, RM of St. Andrews

Opening Remarks:

• Terry Duguid, Member of Parliament, Winnipeg South
• Honourable Eileen Clarke, former Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs
• David Paul, Deputy Chief Commissioner, First Nations Tax Commission
• Chief Dennis Meeches, Long Plain First Nation

At this historic meeting, 28 elected leaders in the Collaborative Leadership Initiative gathered at Lower Fort Garry National Historic Site to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).It was here, almost 150 years ago, that the original signing of Treaty 1 took place on August 3, 1871.

The MOU recognizes the considerable political value of First Nations and municipal governments formally agreeing to work together on common goals and interests.

It is the first time an MOU has been signed by this many First Nation and municipal government partners and reflects the spirit of reconciliation, the re-building of trust between governments, and a recommitment to the Treaty relationship.

Signatories gifted each other with medals that replicated the original numbered treaty medals. These medals feature a handshake between two parties as a symbol of the true spirit of the treaties.

See the Meeting news release here.