National Thanadelthur Day Bill

Moved third reading of Bill S-225, An Act to establish National Thanadelthur Day.

She said: Honourable senators, I want to acknowledge the Dene and Treaty 10 territories in Manitoba and Saskatchewan and the treaty gatherings we have had over these many years. I look forward to our gathering this year in July 2026. I give special acknowledgement to Lucy Antsanen for educating me. She brought the story of Thanadelthur to life for students in the classroom in Lac Brochet starting in 2000 and in Gods Lake classrooms when she was a vice-principal in 2010. Through this multi-year, current-day reconciliation between the Dene and Cree in Brochet and Lac Brochet, Bill S-225, An Act to establish National Thanadelthur Day, was born.

I want to thank the Library of Parliament, not only for all the help they give my office to provide the history of Thanadelthur but also for all the documents they have provided over these many years.

I also want to state that the term “Chipewyan” used in history books is offensive to the Dene, so I have changed that word to “Dene” throughout my speech.

Honourable senators, all countries in the world honour the people they perceive as making contributions to their home or their adopted country. They do this by naming buildings, institutions, mountains, rivers, cities, towns, streets, scholarships, statues, et cetera that carry the names of these individuals. In Canada, we have John A. Macdonald, Vancouver, Prince George, Regina, Fort Frontenac, Victoria, Prince Rupert, Queen Charlotte Islands, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Prince Albert, Strathcona Provincial Park, Lake Louise, Princess Street, St. Lawrence River, Alberta, St. Catharines, St. John’s, Hudson Bay, Mackenzie River, Simon Fraser and Rupert’s Land, to name a few. We have very few that bear the names or languages of First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples. Even fewer still have their names recorded in history, in books and archives, yet they have been and continue to be instrumental in the building of what we now know as Canada.

In the majority of history telling in Canada, the individuals are identified simply as “Aboriginal man” or “Aboriginal woman.” Thanadelthur was a rare exception, even more so because she was a woman. These are some of the examples of having her name enshrined in history:

In the book Dead Reckoning: The Untold Story of the Northwest Passage, there is a chapter entitled, “What Thanadelthur Made Possible.”

A 2022 article from The Northern Review entitled “The Legend of Thanadelthur: Elders’ Oral History and Hudson’s Bay Company Journals” expanded this legend to include the perspective of the Dene:

In bringing together the reports from Dene oral historians, scholars, and other authors, this article outlines the remarkable events in Thanadelthur’s life in order to underscore her historical significance to our communities and Canada at large. . . .

The article also discusses how she:

. . . changed a way of life for her Dene people and the Cree by trading peacefully at the Hudson’s Bay Company.

It further elaborates that:

Thanadelthur’s role as a peacemaker impacted the lives of the Dene, Ëdtthën Eldeli —

— which translates into “caribou eaters people” —

— for over three hundred years. As stated by Bart Dzeylion, an Elder interviewed by Mary Ann Kkailther and cited in Niigaanwewidam and Cariou . . . “Thanadelthur is the reason we exist today” . . . . She is esteemed by Dene people, and they credit her courage for their existence.

An article published in 2007 in Manitoba History was titled “Visioning Thanadelthur: Shaping a Canadian icon.”

An article entitled “[Dene], Cree and Inuit Relations West of Hudson Bay, 1714-1955” published in Ethnohistory in 1981 discusses the effects of Thanadelthur and the peace treaty in a wider context. The section entitled “The Period of Peacemaking by the Hudson’s Bay Company, 1715-1815” notes that:

The peace which Stewart and Thanadelther negotiated between this large body of [Dene], undoubtedly representing a number of regional bands, and the Cree, representing some of the bands near the coast, was relatively binding on those groups. The peace was, however, tenuous for some years and the agreement not binding (or enforceable) among the Cree of the western interior, many of whom had no direct contact with the Company and were not represented in the peace party. A formal state of peace, perhaps better described as peaceful co-existence, did not necessarily mean that amicable interpersonal relations were established, only that the state of war was reduced. . . .

As the article further states, “By the early 19th century peaceful coexistence or mutual toleration characterized the region.”

In the chapter entitled “A Priceless Prize of War: Thanadelthur,” in 100 Canadian Heroines: Famous and Forgotten Faces, it states that the:

. . . important role played by Thanadelthur set a precedent, paving the way for other [Dene] women who followed her to have influential positions in trade relations.

Colleagues, Thanadelthur’s dramatic actions provided a framework for the incorporation of her story into popular culture. Artists including Franklin Arbuckle in the early 1950s painted their visions of Thanadelthur. Novels, including James Houston’s Running West from 1989, Rick Book’s Blackships/Thanadelthur and a comic book entitled Tales from the Bay have fictionalized her life.

For Blackships/Thanadelthur, a teacher’s guide was developed by Jane Huck in 2004 for Grades 4 to 6 in the N.W.T. One of the outcomes fulfilled was to identify days important to Canadians and people from the N.W.T.

I want to briefly go over the history again, which I provided in my other speeches.

The Hudson’s Bay Company, or HBC, governor James Knight wanted to establish trade with the Dene so as to expand business northward to Churchill River, into the traditional territory of the Dene. To succeed in this plan, Knight realized that he needed to end the Cree-Dene conflict.

In 1714, Thanadelthur sought refuge at York Factory, having escaped the Cree, who took her captive in a raid in Arviat, Nunavut. Realizing her potential, Knight recruited her as a guide and interpreter for HBC trader William Stuart (Stewart) and a contingent of Cree who left York Factory for Dene territory in 1715-16. Sickness, starvation and extreme cold plagued the group, who sought to establish lasting peace between the Dene and the Cree. When they could not go on, Thanadelthur completed the last leg of their journey on her own.

Later returning with emissaries, her diplomacy led to a peace agreement. The expedition’s success opened direct trade between the Dene and the Hudson’s Bay Company, resulting in the establishment of the Churchill River Trading Post in the summer of 1717. This marked the beginning of an association between the Dene and the Hudson’s Bay Company that would last for over two centuries.

Honourable senators, Thanadelthur’s energy and determination were to ensure eghena, a term used by Dene that means “to ensure healthy living, to provide sustenance and to live by the laws of the land.” As she was instrumental in creating ties between the Dene people and the Hudson’s Bay Company as well as in expanding the fur trade in today’s Churchill, Manitoba, region, Thanadelthur was key to the success of the Hudson’s Bay Company expansion in Northern Canada.

Thanadelthur was designated as a national historic person in 2000 and honoured with a Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada trilingual commemorative plaque “. . . for Thanadelthur (died 1717) National Historic Person: Dene, English, and French,” which was erected in Churchill, Manitoba.

Honourable senators, I want to quote some of the witnesses who provided evidence in the Standing Senate Committee of Indigenous Peoples.

Grand Chief Settee from Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak, MKO, stated:

I’m very honoured to be here with my Dene relatives. There have been conflicts throughout our past, but today we stand here together in unity to support this history that has been left out of mainstream Canadian society.

Grand Chief Walter Wastesicoot, Sovereign Keewatin Yahthi Nations Grand Council, said:

Keewatin means north in the Inninu language —

— the Cree —

— and Yahthi means north in the Dene language. Hence, both peoples are represented in the Sky Nation Grand Council.

As part of our nation-building exercise, we’ve conducted archival and other research and confirmed that Thanadelthur paved the way for peace amongst our peoples. Almost 310 years of history is credited to her bravery, patience and passion for harmonious relations amongst our peoples.

We believe this achievement is worthy of the recognition being proposed at this time through Bill S-225, National Thanadelthur Day. Let’s make February 5 of each year Thanadelthur Day. . . .

Lucy Antsanen, Dene Knowledge Keeper from Northlands Denesuline First Nation, said:

As an educator, I teach figures, such as Anne Frank, Martin Luther King Jr., Harriet Tubman and more. These are important stories, but we also have powerful stories here — stories of our own grandmothers and grandfathers whose contributions have not been equally recognized in our national narrative. We who have the privilege of obtaining a Western education have a responsibility to speak for those who no longer can.

Modest Antsanen, Band Councillor from Northlands Denesuline First Nation, said:

Young Indigenous women and girls are actively seeking positive, authentic representation as they move through the challenges of both modern and traditional worlds. Establishing National Thanadelthur Day honours a young First Nations girl and recognizes the important contributions of Indigenous women in Canadian history. This recognition will have positive impacts on the well-being of our young women and girls moving forward.

Passing this bill is a symbolic, yet important, step toward truth and reconciliation. This bill brings light to the histories of Indigenous figures who contributed to the building of Canada and fostered peaceful relationships.

Rosalie Emilie Tsannie-Burseth, educator, educational consultant, professor and historian from Hatchet Lake Denesuline First Nation, said:

A remarkable young woman, deeply devoted to her people, emerged from history to make a lasting impact on Canada, an achievement worthy of respect. Her dedication to brokering peace and her leadership during a famous expedition played an important role in Canada’s prosperity. In recognition of her contributions, she is deserving of a Nobel Peace Prize and a national commemoration as Thanadelthur Day.

Florence Hamilton, founder and owner of Dene Routes, speaking as an individual, said:

For me, this is deeply personal. I did not grow up learning this story. It was only later, on my journey of reconnecting with my Dene identity, history and traditions that I came across the story of Thanadelthur. And when I did, I felt something I had been searching for — I felt pride. Pride in her strength. Pride in her courage. Pride in what she represents as a Dene woman.

And it made me reflect on something important. If our young people could grow up learning stories like this — stories that reflect who they are and where they come from — we could help build a strong sense of identity. We could help them feel proud. And when young people feel proud of who they are, they become stronger in how they walk in the world.

The Dene have invited the Cree to meet in different communities, including Churchill, to support the Dene in the historical work they are doing. Due to conflicts that were ongoing from the 1950s to the 1970s, as a citizen of the Barren Lands First Nation in Brochet, I gave an apology to the Dene in 2009 to start the process of present-day healing and reconciliation.

Honourable senators, both nations have had the intention to live harmoniously together since 1716. Brochet now has the largest number of people of mixed Dene and Cree heritage in Canada.

We need to remember that the partnership was born in struggle and conflict and that the multi-culture it represents needs to be renewed with every generation. Bill S-225 is an important ongoing step in reforming the peace alliance between the Dene and the Crees and is therefore contributing to the greater good of Canada.

Honourable senators, I ask that you support the Dene and their commitment to recognition of their contribution to Canada by voting for Bill S-225.

Kinanâskomitinawow.

Yes, I will.

Thank you for that.

When we meet in July of this year, there will be 10 communities — some are Cree; some are Dene — for Treaty 10. When we meet this year, we will be speaking about what we will do on Thanadelthur Day.

In our committee meeting, we were looking at maybe giving out a medal but also getting young women’s names so they could be given an award for what they have accomplished. I will talk to them about that, and then we can move forward.

Thank you for what you have said.