The weeklong commemoration of the Peguis Selkirk Treaty continues in Manitoba.

Yesterday, 200 years and one day after the treaty was signed, a special tree planting ceremony was held at City Hall in Winnipeg.

Mayor Brian Bowman was one of the speakers at the event, as was Brokenhead Ojibway Chief Jim Bear and current Lord of Selkirk of Douglas, James Alexander Douglas-Hamilton.

Bowman called it a very special day.

"Today we'll plant a tree, a Lord Selkirk sugar maple, to honour the 200th anniversary of the Peguis Selkirk Treaty. What a beautiful symbol of peace and partnership."

The event celebrated the treaty and the spirit behind it, but reconciliation was also top of mind, mentioned by Mayor Bowman, Chief Bear, and Lord Selkirk.

"As a British Parliamentarian, I would not wish to try to tell Canadians how such matters might be addressed, but I would just say, experience tells me that in such circumstances, before a true and long-lasting reconciliation can be reached, the effects of past actions, however unpalatable, must be openly confronted and acknowledged," said Lord Selkirk.

Chief Bear called upon the Crown to ensure treaties, the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, and the calls to action in the Truth and Reconciliation are honoured.

The Peguis Selkirk Treaty was the first treaty signed in western Canada. Chief Bear and Lord Selkirk are direct descendents of Chief Peguis and Thomas Douglas, Fifth Earl of Selkirk.

Bowman said looking back at the treaty is a great way to re-focus Winnipeg on its reconciliation efforts.