QUÉBEC CITY, May 24, 2024 /CNW/ - Today, Rémy Vincent, Grand Chief of the Huron-Wendat Nation, and Joël Lightbound, Member of Parliament for Louis-Hébert, on behalf of the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, inaugurated a new experience at the Cartier-Brébeuf National Historic Site.

The result of a partnership between the Huron-Wendat Nation and Parks Canada, this project aims to highlight the theme of encounter by enhancing the outdoor visitor experience at this urban park, while paying tribute to the historical and cultural perspective of the Huron-Wendat Nation. To this end, three new stations have been developed and installed at the main entrances to the national historic site. They describe the defining moments of the encounter on Jacques Cartier's second voyage (1535-1536) in the Québec area, more specifically at the confluence of the Saint-Charles (Akiawenrahk) and Lairet rivers, with the "St. Lawrence Iroquoians," whom the Wendat consider to be their direct ancestors. This new installation promotes a better understanding of the various aspects of the encounter and, ultimately, of the site's history.

Each of the three new stations addresses a different facet of Jacques Cartier's voyage: the notion of encounter, the choice of location and the importance of exchange and helping each other, as well as the Iroquoian way of life and the relationship with creation from the Wendat perspective. Each station also has a fun element where visitors can test their knowledge, either by putting important events in the right order or by searching for specific features hidden throughout the stations.

Parks Canada is proud to work with Indigenous peoples to develop interpretive materials and activities at national historic sites to foster a better understanding of the perspectives, cultures and traditions of these peoples.

"Thanks to a fruitful collaboration between the Huron-Wendat Nation and Parks Canada, visitors to the Cartier-Brébeuf National Historic Site will now be able to learn more about the history of this site, which witnessed the first encounters between Indigenous peoples and Europeans. With our ancestors occupying the region since time immemorial, I am proud that this interpretive project presents our perspective on this important period in history."

Rémy Vincent
Grand Chief of the Huron-Wendat Nation

"With this new project, I hope that visitors to the Cartier-Brébeuf National Historic Site will be able to recognize and appreciate all the work accomplished in cooperation by the Huron-Wendat Nation and Parks Canada which means that, more than ever, this site is intended to be a place to meet and share."

Joël Lightbound
Member of Parliament for Louis-Hébert

"The Stories of Canada program ensures that sites administered by Parks Canada reflect the history and contributions of Indigenous peoples, which is essential to advancing reconciliation. This new experience at the Cartier-Brébeuf National Historic Site will showcase the rich history of the Huron-Wendat Nation. I invite everyone to visit this exhibit to learn more about our shared history."

The Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos
MP for Québec and Minister of Public Services and Procurement

Quick Facts

• Parks Canada is committed to ensuring that its network of national historic sites recognizes and honours the historic and contemporary contributions of Indigenous peoples, their histories and cultures, and their special connection with ancestral lands and waters.
• Parks Canada and Indigenous peoples work together to develop interpretive materials and activities at national historic sites, national parks and national marine conservation areas to foster a better understanding of the perspectives, cultures and traditions of Indigenous peoples.
• Parks Canada is working to advance the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada's Call to Action Number 79, which calls on the federal government to integrate Indigenous history, heritage values and commemoration practices into the national heritage and to commemorate the contributions of Indigenous peoples to Canadian history.
• This work is also supported by the implementation of Parks Canada's Framework for History and Commemoration, which provides strategic direction for sharing more diverse and inclusive stories at national historic sites to ensure that Canadians have the opportunity to understand the full breadth of the country's history.
• The Cartier-Brébeuf National Historic Site commemorates the wintering location of Jacques Cartier and his companions in 1535-1536 near the Iroquois village of Stadacona. It also bears witness to the establishment in 1625-1626 of the first Jesuit missionaries' residence in Québec.

Parks Canada
Cartier-Brébeuf National Historic Site
Huron-Wendat Nation (French only)
Parks Canada Discovery Pass

SOURCE Parks Canada (HQ)