Letters, face masks and a mystery item: Time capsule marking Manitoba 150 will be sealed for next century

A cellphone, a beaded tobacco pouch and a few face masks were among the items sealed into a time capsule behind the Manitoba Legislative Building on Wednesday afternoon, to mark the 150th anniversary of the province's entry into Confederation.

It took a few months to decide which items would be included in the 75 selected to represent the years since the Manitoba Act was enacted on July 15, 1870, and to capture this moment in time in the province, said Myrna Driedger, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.

The time capsule contains letters from government officials, items commemorating Manitoba Day 2020 and Manitoba 150, and gifts celebrating Inuit,Mtis and First Nations people, along with information about the strides made to advance women's rights since Confederation and about the COVID-19 pandemic.

It will also contain one mystery item that won't be publicly revealed until the capsule is opened in 100 years, Driedger said.

"I kept thinking, I would love to see their faces when they [open] it. But then you start to wonder, 'What are they going to be like in 100 years? What are they going to be wearing in 100 years?'" she said.

"Are they even going to have a screwdriver in 100 years that's going to be able to open the capsule?"

Rather than being buried underground where it may be forgotten, the time capsule which was designed by Winnipeg artist Darren Sakwi will be displayed in the legislature for people to look at until it is opened again, Driedger said.

Legislature rededicated after 100 years

Wednesday also marked 100 years since the opening of the legislature, which was officially rededicated at Wednesday's ceremony.

In the years since, Manitoba has seen dramatic changes but there are still parallels between that time in the province and the one we live in today, Lt.-Gov. Janice Filmon told a small crowd behind the legislature.

On July 15, 1920, Manitoba was just getting back to normal after the devastating flu pandemic of 1918-19, Filmon said, and the Winnipeg General Strike of 1919 "had recently shown Manitobans that they had work to do to build a more just, more equitable and more trusting society."

WATCH | Time capsule unveiling:

Time capsule for Manitoba 150

4 years ago

Duration 0:59

A ceremony was held Wednesday at the Manitoba Legislature as a time capsule with 75 items was sealed. The capsule will be opened in 2120.

"Fast-forward a century, and the grounds of this building recently hosted a huge, peaceful rally by Manitobans who reminded us of all the work that is still to be done," she said.

Today, the legislative building in Winnipeg's downtown is more than just granite and marble, said Driedger it's a symbol of democracy and the possibility of a better future.

"I think that's why you see people having demonstrations here," she said. "It is a symbol that stands for something bigger than us."

The fact thatManitoba's COVID-19 caseload is now low enough to allow a public event like the one on Wednesday is also symbolic, said Premier Brian Pallister.

"It speaks to our unshakeable commitment to build a province together that will be as strong and as enduring as this building has been and will continue to be," he said.

"May it always be a shining symbol of the boundless optimism of Manitobans."

Mtis pride growing

Beneath a towering statue of the mannow widely recognizedas Manitoba's founding father, Louis Riel's great-grandniece reflected on how far the Mtis people have come in the past 150 years and how far they still have to go.

Paulette Duguay said it was meaningful to be part of the ceremony on Wednesday.

"We finally have the recognition of Louis Riel's contribution in creating the province," said Duguay, president of l'Union nationale mtisse Saint-Joseph du Manitoba, the oldest Mtis organization in Canada.

"Many years ago, you did not proudly tell people you were Mtis. There was a shame associated with that."

That feeling has dissipated over the years, Duguay said, with many young people now learning about and reclaiming their culture.

While her own family was an exception, she said she knows many people from older generations who still feel pangs of shame connected to their identity and she hopes in the next 150 years, that changes.

"I think of many grandparents today, they still are a little hesitant to feel pride in that. But I hope before they leave this earth that there's some [pride] there."