​Danish Canadian Conference in Winnipeg 2019

The annual National Danish Canadian Conference was held at the Hotel Fort Garry in Winnipeg from May 23rd to May 26th, hosted by the Danish Canadian Club of Manitoba.  The Federation of Danish Associations in Canada and the Danish Canadian Museum both held their Annual General Meetings in connection with the Conference.

The theme of the Conference was The Arctic: Past, Present and Future. The Friday lunch guest was Fred Ford, President of the Manitoba Inuit Association, speaking on the new Inuit Art Centre at the Winnipeg Art Gallery which is due to open in 2020. At the Saturday dinner and dance, a very interesting presentation on the various studies being carried out in the Artic was given by Prof. David Barber, Associate Dean, University of Manitoba. On the Sunday morning, the delegates were taken on a walking tour of the “Journey to Churchill” at the Assiniboine Zoo, which featured a number of animals found in the Artic. The participants were mesmerized by the underwater viewing tunnels, which gave the opportunity to view the polar bears and seals swimming from below the surface of the water. 

Other highlights of the conference were the commemoration of the 1619 Jens Munk Expedition in search of the Northwest Passage and the flag ceremony at Winnipeg City Hall to celebrate the 800th anniversary of Dannebrog.  The delegates were given time to visit the Canadian Museum for Human Rights or doing a Self-guided Walking Tour of the Winnipeg Exchange District and the 1919 General Strike.

The conference concluded at the Scandinavian Centre with a delicious lunch of smørrebrød, beer and snaps complimented by entertainment by the Nordic Folk Dancers and the Nordic Folk Band “Sill-I-Tones”. The Danish Federation flag and mailbox were handed over to the Vancouver Island Danish Canadian Club, host of the 2020 Danish Canadian Conference.

More on the, Arctic: Past, Present and Future, theme can be found in the 2019 Heritage Book.

- Rolf Buschardt Christensen