Sir Adams George Archibald (1814-1892) National Historic Person
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Sir Adams George Archibald was designated as a national historic person in 1938.
The Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada reviewed this designation in 2024.
Reasons for designation
As the first lieutenant-governor of Manitoba and the North-West Territories (1870–72), Archibald played a key role in establishing the early laws and formative institutions of Manitoba during a tumultuous period after the Red River Resistance of 1869–70, when the region came under the jurisdiction of Canada. Archibald was charged with administering the provisions of the Manitoba Act which guaranteed Métis land rights. Honoring Métis land provisions proved difficult in the face of rapid non-Indigenous encroachment and the delays in Dominion surveying and land management. Archibald’s authority was undermined when Canadian militia subjected Métis people to a “reign of terror”, intimidating them in ongoing attacks. His attempts to compromise with the Métis, and especially his meeting with Louis Riel in October 1871, compromised his position and led to his eventual resignation.
In 1871, Archibald represented the Crown in the negotiations of Treaties 1 and 2 with the Anishinaabeg (Ojibwe) and Mashkiigowag (Swampy Cree) from the territories south and west of lakes Manitoba and Winnipeg. Several promises made in Archibald’s speeches during the treaty negotiations were not recorded in the written treaty document, and soon after these negotiations, First Nations protested that treaty promises were not being fulfilled. In 1875, these “outside promises” were formally included in the treaty.
Archibald is recognized as one of the Fathers of Confederation because he represented Nova Scotia as a delegate to the Charlottetown and Québec conferences of 1864 and to the London Conference of 1866, which provided the basis for Confederation. He served as secretary of state for the provinces in Sir John A. Macdonald’s first cabinet and as lieutenant-governor of Nova Scotia from 1873 to 1883.
Review of designation
The Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada is reviewing designated national historic persons, events and sites for their connection to the history and legacy of the residential school system. This review responds to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Call to Action 79, which calls on the federal government to commemorate the history and legacy of residential schools.
Reviews are undertaken on an ongoing basis to ensure that designations reflect current scholarship, shifts in historical understandings, and a range of voices, perspectives and experiences in Canadian society.
In 2024, this designation was reviewed due to colonial assumptions and an absence of a significant layer of history in the commemorative plaque text. The original text, approved in 1977, highlighted Archibald as a Father of Confederation and his various positions in politics. The original text did not reference his role in creating the political foundations for the province of Manitoba and participating in the negotiations of Treaties 1 and 2 with First Nations in what is now southern Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
New reasons for designation were developed that include Archibald’s role in establishing the early laws of Manitoba, administering the provisions of the Manitoba Act which guaranteed Métis land rights, and negotiating treaties. A new plaque will be prepared as time and resources permit.
Sources: Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, Minutes, December 2022; June 2023.
The National Program of Historical Commemoration relies on the participation of Canadians in the identification of places, events and persons of national historic significance. Any member of the public can nominate a topic for consideration by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada.
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