Treaty 1 Territory
September 14, 2020
On September 11, 2020, leaders from the Brokenhead Ojibway Nation (BON) and the RM of St. Clements met to discuss the renaming of Colonization Road located in Libau, Manitoba. As a result, the two communities agreed to work together to begin a process of renaming the road.
With recent events happening around the world regarding systemic racism, people and communities have started to speak out and protest the continued display of colonial public symbols, monuments, including offensive names that normalize colonization.
Chief Deborah Smith of the Brokenhead Ojibway Nation stated “This conversation isn’t new, First Nations across Canada have regularly expressed frustration with colonial statues, recently the public outcry for the removal of the statue of Canada’s first Prime Minister because of his significant role in building church-run Indian residential schools that attempted to assimilate Indigenous children into Western society.”
In the spirit of reconciliation, the two communities will embark on a collaborative approach to seek a solution to this difficult topic. RM of St. Clements Mayor Debbie Fiebelkorn “It is important we understand the impact these symbols have and recognize the negative impact of colonialism and we would like to establish a process of collaborative leadership and seek consultation to have meaningful dialogue on a difficult topic such as this.”
For more information contact:
RM of St. Clements – Brett Paskaruk Brett@rmofstclements.com (204) 482-3300
Brokenhead Ojibway Nation – Jackie Pommer Jpommer@brokenheadojibwaynation.com (204) 485-4469
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