Bishop Modeste Demers (1809-1871) National Historic Person
© J.E. Livernois Photo, Québec / Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec
Bishop Modeste Demers was designated as a national historic person in 1973.
The Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada reviewed this designation in 2024.
Reasons for designation
From his entry into the Pacific Northwest in 1838 to his death in 1871, Modeste Demers was one of the first members of the Roman Catholic clergy in the region whose work focused in part on converting Indigenous Peoples to Christianity, part of the colonization of the region. In 1847, he was ordained as the first Bishop of Vancouver Island, New Caledonia, and the Queen Charlotte Islands (now Haida Gwaii), becoming a central figure in the early development of Catholic institutions. He also recruited religious workers from Central Canada and Europe to the region. The practices implemented by Demers and his Church, in conjunction with colonization and assimilation, would have drastic consequences for future generations of Indigenous Peoples.
From 1838 to 1846 Demers travelled widely in fur trading networks, extending missionary work to Indigenous communities and ministering to families of the fur trade including in present-day United States. In 1838–39, he created a Chinook jargon dictionary, which helped to disseminate this trade language, bridging linguistic groups and facilitating colonialism.
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 in the commemorative plaque text. The original text, approved in 1976, highlighted on his role as the first Bishop of Vancouver Island.
New reasons for designation were developed that include Demers’ role and impact as one of the first members of the Roman Catholic clergy in the region whose work focused on converting Indigenous Peoples to Christianity. The new reasons for designation also include his role in preserving the fur trade language, the Chinook Jargon. The original plaque will be removed, and a new plaque will be prepared as time and resources permit.
Sources: Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, Minutes, June 2023; December 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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