Manitoba's Treaty Relations Commission marks 10th anniversary

The Treaty Relations Commission of Manitoba is celebrating 10 years of raising public awareness of the province's treaties and fostering mutual respect between aboriginal and non-aboriginal communities.

Treaty Relations Commissioner James Wilson was joined by elder Elmer Courchene and others for an anniversary event in Winnipeg on Tuesday.

Wilson said the commission's milestone projects include its "We Are All Treaty People" awareness campaign, a community outreach and speakers' bureau and a historical atlas of First Nations in Manitoba.

• Oral history book ensures aboriginal elders' stories live on
• Manitoba students to learn role of treaties in province's history

The first volume of the Oral History Project, which has converted interviews with more than 200 elders into two extensive written volumes, was released in February 2014.

In September, the commission and the provincial government said their Treaty Education Initiative, which started as a pilot project, will be rolled out provincewide.

The initiative teaches students about the treaties that form the basis of Manitoba's history, with the goal of improving relationships between aboriginal and non-aboriginal students.

The Treaty Education Initiative has already been introduced in 35 of 39 school divisions in Manitoba, meaning thousands of students are learning about their shared history, according to the commission.

"As we look to tomorrow, I am optimistic about making even greater progress among all peoples in Manitoba," Wilson stated in a news release.

"Reflecting back on our history to 1871 when First Nations and the federal government made the first treaty together, I have much hope that, despite decades of challenges, we can and will come to a full understanding that 'We Are All Treaty People.'"