The federal and Manitoba governments announced Saturday they will spend more than $33 million to build the Métis National Heritage Centre in Winnipeg.
Northern Affairs Minister Dan Vandal, who is a Winnipeg MP, announced $23.1 million in federal funding during the Annual General Meeting of the Manitoba Métis Federation.
The money is on top of $5.1 million that Ottawa has already contributed to the project.
Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson told the Federation’s AGM in a video statement that her government will be contributing $10 million.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons.
The Métis National Heritage Centre will be the first of its kind in Canada and provide members of the Métis Nation with an opportunity to showcase their history.
It will offer Canadians an opportunity to learn about the heritage, language, culture, methods of governance, and significant contributions of the Métis Nation before, during, and after Confederation — including the founding of the Province of Manitoba in 1870.
David Chartrand, President of the Manitoba Métis Federation, said in a news release, “The Red River Métis were the economic engine of the west. It is symbolic that when you stand inside our new heritage centre at the corner of Portage and Main and look through the doors, you are facing Northwest into our homeland.
“This is the corner where all roads westward began.”
