Background

The legacy of Bishop Vital-Justin Grandin has been reconsidered in recent years following the release of the Final Report on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) of Canada. Grandin (1829-1902) was a Roman Catholic Priest and Bishop who worked in western Canada from approximately 1854 to 1902.

He is known for advocating on behalf of the Métis in the days leading up to the North-West Resistance (1885). In 1890, he ordained the first Métis priest in the northwest and founded the Petit Seminaire de la Sainte-Famille in St. Albert to help establish a Métis clergy (circa 1900). He also defended French language rights in western Canada. Grandin believed that First Nations peoples needed to be “civilized” and viewed residential schools, specifically industrial schools, as the means to accomplish this mission.

The name Rue Grandin Street can be traced back to 1876, predating the Rural Municipality of St. Boniface which was established in 1880.

Later, Winnipeg City Council adopted the name “Bishop Grandin Boulevard” when it passed a recommendation from the Committee on Environment at a Council Meeting held July 19, 1978. Minutes from this meeting state:

“The naming of the Corridor [St. Vital – Fort Garry Corridor as it was known during construction], ‘Bishop Grandin Boulevard,’ appears to be most appropriate from an historical point of view. Bishop Vital Justin Grandin, an assistant to Bishop Tache, was associated with the development of the Colonies in the St. Vital and Fort Garry areas in the mid 1880’s.”

In recent years, Grandin’s legacy has been called into question. In addition to the 94 Calls to Action, the TRC’s report included a detailed history of the residential school system in Canada and identified Grandin as leading the campaign for residential schools. He appealed to the federal government to increase grants to these schools and encouraged the building of industrial schools in western Canada.

As an Elder of the Indigenous Knowledge Naming Circle reminded us, the following quote has been attributed to Bishop Vital Grandin, speaking about the goal of residential schools:

“We will instill in them a pronounced distaste for this kind of life, so that they are humiliated when reminded of their origins.”

She said in response to that: “I won, I never lost my language.”

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