WINNIPEG –
Family members, community leaders and dignitaries were on hand to pay tribute to Grand Chief Cathy Merrick, of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, who died last Friday.
Merrick’s casket was brought in to the legislature for a closed-door ceremony this morning, and she will lie in state this afternoon to allow the public to pay their respects.
As RCMP carried the casket into the legislature, family members, Premier Wab Kinew and others followed behind in a solemn procession.
Her death was marked by a vigil outside the Winnipeg courthouse earlier, and a sunrise ceremony.
Belongings of Grand Chief Cathy Merrick are carried into a ceremony at the Legislature in Winnipeg on Wednesday, September 11, 2024. (John Woods/The Canadian Press)
Merrick collapsed while talking to reporters last Friday and was rushed to hospital.
She became the first woman to head the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs in 2022, and was re-elected to a second term earlier this year.
Former premier Gary Doer came to the legislature to sign a book of condolences, and said Merrick was a person of integrity and leadership.
“She had it all and she lived it all, and that’s why there’s so many people grieving her passing,” Doer said Wednesday.
Family and friends escort the casket of Grand Chief Cathy Merrick for a ceremony and lying in state at the Legislature in Winnipeg on Wednesday, September 11, 2024. (John Woods/The Canadian Press)
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024