Québec City – Rémy Vincent, Grand Chief of the Huron-Wendat Nation, and Joël Lightbound, Member of Parliament for Louis-Hébert, on behalf of Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, inaugurated a new experience at the Cartier-Brébeuf National Historic Site.
The result of a partnership between the Huron-Wendat Nation and Parks Canada, this project aims to highlight the theme of encounter by enhancing the outdoor visitor experience at this urban park, while paying tribute to the historical and cultural perspective of the Huron-Wendat Nation. To this end, three new stations have been developed and installed at the main entrances to the national historic site. They describe the defining moments of the encounter on Jacques Cartier’s second voyage (1535-1536) in the Québec area, more specifically at the confluence of the Saint-Charles (Akiawenrahk) and Lairet rivers, with the “St. Lawrence Iroquoians,” whom the Wendat consider to be their direct ancestors. This new installation promotes a better understanding of the various aspects of the encounter and, ultimately, of the site’s history.
Each of the three new stations addresses a different facet of Jacques Cartier’s voyage: the notion of encounter, the choice of location and the importance of exchange and helping each other, as well as the Iroquoian way of life and the relationship with creation from the Wendat perspective. Each station also has a fun element where visitors can test their knowledge, either by putting important events in the right order or by searching for specific features hidden throughout the stations.
Parks Canada is proud to work with Indigenous peoples to develop interpretive materials and activities at national historic sites to foster a better understanding of the perspectives, cultures and traditions of these peoples.