Chamber
senate
Stage
2nd Reading
Introduced
Jun 3, 2025
Progress
This bill designates February 5th each year as National Thanadelthur Day to honour a historic Denesuline peacemaker.
Key Changes
- Designates February 5th of every year as 'National Thanadelthur Day' across Canada
- Formally recognizes Thanadelthur's historical role as a peacemaker, interpreter, and negotiator
- Acknowledges the contributions of Indigenous women to Canadian history through a named national day
- Clarifies that the day is not a legal holiday or non-juridical day, meaning no time off work or court closures
Gotchas
- The bill explicitly states that National Thanadelthur Day is not a legal holiday, meaning it does not create any obligation for businesses, governments, or courts to close or give time off.
- The day is purely symbolic and commemorative — it creates no funding, programs, or government obligations beyond the recognition itself.
- The bill highlights a historical figure who is described as 'little-known,' suggesting the day is partly intended as an educational awareness initiative.
Who's Affected
- Denesuline (Chipewyan) peoples
- Cree peoples
- Indigenous communities across Canada
- Canadians interested in Indigenous history and heritage
Vibes
0 responses
Gotchas
- The bill explicitly states that National Thanadelthur Day is not a legal holiday, meaning it does not create any obligation for businesses, governments, or courts to close or give time off.
- The day is purely symbolic and commemorative — it creates no funding, programs, or government obligations beyond the recognition itself.
- The bill highlights a historical figure who is described as 'little-known,' suggesting the day is partly intended as an educational awareness initiative.
Summary
This bill creates a national day of recognition on February 5th to honour Thanadelthur, a young Denesuline woman who lived in the early 1700s in what is now northern Manitoba. Thanadelthur was captured by the Cree in 1713, escaped after a year, and then worked with the Hudson's Bay Company to broker peace between the Denesuline and Cree peoples. She died on February 5, 1717, and this date was chosen to mark her memory. The bill recognizes Thanadelthur's role as an interpreter, ambassador, and negotiator who helped bring lasting peace between two Indigenous nations while also facilitating the fur trade. Her story is described in the bill as largely unknown but historically significant, particularly as an example of the contributions of Indigenous women in Canadian history. The bill was introduced in the Senate by Senator McCallum and is intended to raise awareness of Thanadelthur's legacy and the early history of Indigenous peoples and the northern fur trade in Canada.
Automatically generated from bill text using Claude
Vibes
0 responses