Ritchot, Father Noël-Joseph National Historic Person
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Noel Ritchot
© http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:NoelRitchotDrawing.jpg
Address :
450 Broadway, Winnipeg, Manitoba
Recognition Statute:
Historic Sites and Monuments Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. H-4)
Designation Date:
1990-11-16
Life Date:
1825 to 1905
Other Name(s):
-
Ritchot, Father Noël-Joseph
(Designation Name)
Importance:
First Roman Catholic parish priest at Qu'appelle (1862) and at St. Norbert (1870-1905)
Plaque(s)
Existing plaque: River Walk Park, behind the Manitoba Legislative Building 450 Broadway, Winnipeg, Manitoba
Born at L'Assomption, Lower Canada, Father Ritchot arrived at St. Norbert as a missionary in 1862, serving there until his death. He took part in the Red River Settlement's resistance when Canada annexed the Northwest without consultation in 1869-1870. He then led the delegation which Louis Riel's provisional government sent to Ottawa to negotiate entry into Confederation. The delegates suggested the name Manitoba, gained its immediate acceptance as a province, and won strong representation in Canada's Parliament. Ritchot later promoted the expansion of francophone settlement in Manitoba.