A sunrise ceremony took place Wednesday morning at the Legislature grounds in celebration of the life of Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Grand Chief Cathy Merrick. Provincial political leaders gathered to honour Merrick, who had served as Grand Chief since 2022, succeeding Arlen Dumas.
Portage la Prairie MLA Jeff Bereza attended the ceremony and described it as an incredibly moving event.
“There was a lot of pipe smoking. There was a lot of tradition there that I’ve never seen before. That was absolutely beautiful, and it was a great honour—the way Cathy Merrick was honoured. The one thing I noticed was just before the ceremony ended, about half a dozen Canada geese flew over in a V-formation. I don’t think we could have had a warmer tribute to Grand Chief Cathy Merrick,” Bereza said.
Among the speakers was Ovide Mercredi, past Grand Chief of the Assembly of First Nations. Bereza noted that all the speakers talked about Merrick’s warmth and compassion. He recalled his own meetings with her.
“I had the opportunity to meet Grand Chief Cathy Merrick twice. Once was at Dakota Plains when the city of Portage tore up the proclamation from the early 1900s. The second time, we talked about MRIs and how Indigenous people weren’t able to access them. She wanted to know more about it. It’s unfortunate we didn’t get to talk more, but she was very supportive during that time. We’re going to miss her,” Bereza said.
Bereza emphasized that Merrick wasn’t just an advocate for Indigenous people, but for all of Manitoba and Canada.
“She wanted to help make this a better place. Her compassion came through when she spoke about injustices. One thing I remember her saying was that we need to learn the truth before we can have reconciliation. She did a heck of a job while she was here. She wasn’t Grand Chief for a long time, but she accomplished so much and brought so many people together, no matter their colour or political affiliation. She knew how to bring people together,” Bereza said.
He added that he was grateful to have met her and feels he’s a better person for it.