Peguis-Selkirk Treaty remembered 200 years later

It's been 200 years since a historic treaty was signed between Lord Selkirk and Chief Peguis making the Red River Settlement possible and forming as a template for future treaties to come.

• Peguis member questions Manitoba premier's commemorative ride

Lord Selkirk of Douglas flew to Winnipeg from the U.K. to commemorate the anniversary of the July 18, 1817 treaty alongside Peguis band members.

Bill Shead is a member of Peguis First Nation and said the treaty had a deep impact on Winnipeg and Manitoba and established a relationship between the Indigenous and settler community.

"When the settlers came here they were a threat to the fur traders because they were going to be farmers and settling the area," Shead told CBC's Weekend Morning Show.

He said the real importance of the Peguis-Selkirk Treaty was that the settlement wouldn't have succeeded without it meaning there may not have been a Winnipeg or Manitoba.

"If the settlement didn't succeed Winnipeg's establishment would be delayed quite remarkably."

John Perrin, the president of the Scottish Heritage Council of Manitoba, said, "We owe a debt today to First Nations people and it's a debt that is really not always recognized in our current society."