The Forks was an ancient meeting place for indigenous peoples for over 6,000 years where different groups made alliances and traded. It was here that Louis Riel defended the rights of Métis people. His house and grave are historic sites in Winnipeg. It was also the site of the first treaty between indigenous chiefs and the federal government.
It starts with Canada’s story of repression and then it’s recognition that all people are created equal. The original document ratify Ing the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and replicas of other important documents are displayed on the lower levels.
As visitors make their way up the lit marble walkways, they discover higher level documents such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Although they mention Canada’s historic wrongs, it doesn’t go into it’s more recent Charter violations, such as the Harper government depriving expats the right to vote.
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