Remarks by
The Honourable John Harvard, P.C., O.M.
Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba
100th Anniversary of le club Belge
Le Club Belge
Saturday, January 29, 2005 - 5:30 p.m.
Fellow Manitobans, members and friends of Le Club Belge, welcome to this celebration of a century of strengthening and enriching our province and our country.
Many of those first Belgian immigrants had the very good judgment to set up farms in the beautiful country of rolling hills around Swan Lake, Somerset and Cypress River – not far from my own hometown of Glenboro. They could hardly have picked a more beautiful place in all of Canada.
When I was growing up at Glenboro, I was familiar with the names of many Belgian-Canadian families: names such as De Roo, De Smet, Rigaux, Claeyes, Van Damme and Van Den Bosche.
Many others came to St. Boniface, where they added a new element to the francophone capital of Western Canada.
In establishing the Le Club Belge in 1905, the Belgian community was taking steps that many other communities have since taken. First there was the immediate struggle to earn a living and support a family - clearing land for farms, working in forests or factories or construction.
Then, once roots had been put down, came the effort to maintain a sense of community and identity in that new land. Over the past century, through Le Club Belge, participation in Folklorama, community activities such as brass bands and folk dance groups, the Belgian community has kept its identity while adding to the definition of what it means to be Canadian.
Coming from a bilingual and bicultural nation, the Belgians were uniquely qualified to contribute to Canadian society.
The Belgian experience showed the world that different language groups could live together peacefully, could share cultures and ideas.
As Canada evolved over the past century into an officially bilingual
and multicultural country, that experience has been an encouragement and
an inspiration.
As Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba – a province that has long been proud of its diversity of culture and language – I am pleased to join you tonight in saluting the centennial of Le Club Belge.
Thank you.
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