Grand Chief Cathy Merrick of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs will lie in state at the provincial legislature following her sudden death.
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew made the announcement during a news conference Saturday morning where the province’s Indigenous leaders paid tribute to the late leader.
Merrick was outside the Winnipeg Law Courts building on Friday talking to reporters about two court cases when she said she felt dizzy and fell to the ground.
Fire and paramedic crews performed chest compressions on arrival and carried Merrick away on a stretcher to an ambulance, but she did not survive.
The decision to have Merrick lie in state at the legislature was made in consultation with her family as well as the leadership of Pimicikamak Cree Nation, where Merrick was a former chief.
Kinew says Merrick did a tremendous service to all people in Manitoba and he encourages Manitobans to appreciate her for that.
“She moved the needle in the direction of righteousness and justice and kindness, and also reconciliation,” Kinew said from the headquarters of Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak, which represents more than two dozen northern Manitoba First Nation communities.
Kinew said the decision also means people who won’t be able to travel to Pimicikamak will still be able to pay their respects to Merrick in Winnipeg.
Details on when Merrick will lie in state are being worked out and an announcement will come later, according to Kinew.
Merrick took over the helm of the chief’s assembly in 2022 and was the first woman elected to the role.
She supported families of the victims of serial killer Jeremy Skibicki, pushing long and hard for authorities to search a landfill where the remains of two of the four Indigenous women are believed to be.
She also championed reform of the child welfare system, and called for better transportation, health care and other services in First Nation communities.