A statue of Chief Peguis will be displayed on the Manitoba Legislative Building's lawn, the building's first recognition of First Nations Indigenous peoples on its grounds.

The Committee to Commemorate the 200th Anniversary of the Peguis Selkirk Treaty and the Government of Manitoba are looking for input on what will be a Peguis Selkirk Treaty Monument. To do so, they are hosting a two-phase design competition. 

"It is our hope this monument will inspire all Manitobans to recognize First Nations contributions and embrace mutual respect and reconciliation," co-chairs Bill Shead and John Perrin say in a statement.

The statue will be unveiled on Chief Peguis' 160th anniversary of his death, on September 28, 2021.

The monument, set to be placed on the north-east section of the law, immediately west of the entrance drive and adjacent to Broadway Avenue, which the committee says is the most prominent, undeveloped area on the lawn. The committee also says Chief Peguis will face east toward the entrance drive, symbolically looking at Canada and towards the area of Ontario where the Chief and his people immigrated from watching the sunrise, symbolizing hopes for a new day of reconciliation.

They are looking for design teams composed of visual artists, landscape architects and other design professionals across Canada to create the monument. 

"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," ” Indigenous Reconciliation and Northern Relations Minister Alan Lagimodiere says in the statement.

The monument will cost an estimated $500,000 but could exceed that budget if the design is approved.

The duo will also be partnering with The St. Andrew’s Society of Winnipeg Trust Fund, The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, and The Treaty Relations Commission of Manitoba on this project.

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